Color (On Hiatus)
by Meiko Atsushi
Summary: Model!GoM AU. The Generation of Miracles. 5 new shining models that have rose into the eyes of the people. However, what exactly is the connection between all of them? The clock continues to tick, and the mystery of their past is yet to be unveiled... Kuroko x ? On hiatus for plot revision.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: Model!GoM AU. They didn't know each other when they were together, but now that they are separated, a single title is about to group them into one. "They're the Generation of Miracles, and nobody can stop them." In which Kagami and Kuroko are included. Kuroko x ?**

 **This is a story inspired by LycheeLove's 'Invisible' – I encourage all of you to check it out, if you haven't already.**

 **Note: This story DOES NOT follow the plot of the anime, and therefore this is set in a time where the title, Generation of Miracles are not known throughout people. They develop the name during the process of becoming top class models. Their age is set during their twenties, if any of you were curious.**

 **ALSO, they don't call eachother with the suffix yet, with the '-cchi' and the '-chin' or first names. It's only Kise that calls Kuroko as Kurokocchi.**

 **THANKS TO:** _ **chrisalyscence**_ **who beta-ed my story! She is an awesome author, so please check her works out!**

 **Then, I hope you enjoy this story.**

 **Chapter 1~ The beginning of a Miracle**

" _Kuroko-kun, you're sure about this, aren't you?"_

"Pretty much."

A sigh blew through the receiver as one teal-haired male flipped through his book. The train was noisy, due to a horde of female fans giggling and gossiping as they crowded around an advertisement pasted on the wall of the crowded train. It portrayed the lean and lithe physique of a popularmodel named, Reo Mibuchi – although it was known to the media that he was gay, the fangirls still remained – mainly because of the handsome and flawless features of the man (despite the fact he had announced he didn't bother to attend special beauty salons of any sort). No one could deny a hot celebrity regardless of his or her sexuality. They were only eye candy to most – no matter how sore that sounded in reality.

" _We're in real_ __ _deep trouble now as you are aware. Even with you and Kagami-kun joining us, our income rates aren't increasing by very much. Not that I'm saying you two are doing a bad job – you guys are actually doing great for newbies – and Kagami-kun is only a photographer. It's just that we need a bunch of awesome rookies – possibly some fresh faces we can showcase to the world and_ __ _boost the state of our current position. You get what I'm saying?"_ Riko's voice sounded impatient and urgent and the same time over the receiver, Kuroko noticed.

"Yes, yes, Aida-san, I do."

" _ **This station is Kanagawa. We repeat. This station is Kanagawa. For those getting off at this station, the exit is to your right…"**_

Aida Riko, the manager continued her spiel overthe phone, but the male stood up and talked over her. "Aida-san, I need to go now. I'll call you later, okay? Bye." He pressed the end button and slipped his phone into his pocket. The device vibrated for the next few minutes, and Kuroko Tetsuya, the teal-haired male could almost imagine the angered expression of his manager cursing his name. He should have been scared, but it was at that very moment that he couldn't care less. He was doing this for his own good. For his _manager's_ own good, as a matter of fact.

He walked through the busy streets of Kanagawa, his presence goingquitecompletely unnoticed by the hustling pedestrians. It wasn't thatnobody cared, but rather, nobody could see him. He existed, but he was justimpossible to track andsensetothe naked human eye. At least, tothe average human eye that was.

Kuroko stopped in front of a large, fifteen story building and stared up at it, wincing from the light reflected off the shiny glass exterior to his sensitive eyes.

 _So this is what Cherry Entertainment looks like…_ He thought in amazement, as he glanced around in awe upon entering the building.

Eventually, he recollected his thoughts, remembering the reason he was there. He brushed past severalworkers and some yet-to-be famous celebrities, and eventually stopped at the reception corner.

"Um, excuse me." Kuroko said aloud, greatly startling the woman in front of him.

"Y-yes?" She seemed to be recovering from the shock, but managed to keep a calm composure.

"I'm here to meet the singer, Kise Ryouta."

The woman blinked – her nametag read, Yuri Erika. "Is this an arranged appointment for business inquiries, or justa personal meeting?"

The teal-haired male responded after a mere second. "A personal meeting."

"I see. Have you contacted him of your arrival beforehand?"

Kuroko thought about that. "No, but he should know who I am if you tell him my name."

Yuri scrutinized him, and then picked up the phone albeit hesitantly. "And what is your name, sir?"

"Kuroko Tetsuya."

She looked down at the phoneand dialed a number, and then fell into apatient silence.

"Yes… yes, Tanaka-san, Erika here. A man claiming to be Kuroko Tetsuya is asking for Kise-san. Yes… I see. Very well, I will tell him so." She put the phone down and smiled at Kuroko. "Kise-san will be coming down in a few minutes, sir." The male nodded, silently thanking the female as he went to the other side of the hall.

He flipped his phone back open and mentally groaned, seeing that he had twelve missed calls, and forty-five unopened messages from Riko. Each one was filled with a mixture of curses and formal reminders that he had to finish his job well. She made sure to add one last grumpy threat at the end of each text. Another one was from his boss, Hyuga Junpei, telling him to not anger Riko too much, or else he would have to clean up after her rampaging mess and inevitably tire out.

"Kurokocchi!" A high-pitched, excited voice called his name, adding the friendly suffix he was particularly familiar with.

When Kuroko looked up, he saw a blonde-haired male who was dressed like a typical member of a boy band – a little more stylish, though, as if he added a touch of his own personal flair. He donned a purple t-shirt and had a chain necklace hang from his neck with fancy black jeans and sneakers embellished with crystal studs.

"It's been a while, Kise-kun. How were you?" Kuroko greeted before Kise groaned in response.

"Terrible! Actually, it was kind of okay… no scratch that. It was _terrible_! It's actually not a good idea to form a band with your high school colleagues! I mean, it's good that we get along and all, but it doesn't balance out the worst part, which is having the strictest leader _ever_!" The blonde quieted for a few moments after his ramble. He sighed then plastered a kind smile on his face. "Anyways, Kurokocchi, like you've said, it _has_ been a while. We didn't meet for what, two years after our year's middleschool reunion?"

"Yes, I believe it has been about that long."

"Too long, don't you think? Everyone changed. I mean, did you see? Midorima-kun was actually on television as the youngest student to ever receive ascholarship for that… something."

Kuroko's expression darkened a little, as he reminded himself of a certain indigo-haired former classmate. "Yes, everyone has changed. Which is preciselywhy everyone will come back together through this opportunity I am about to suggest."

Kise looked confused. He opened his mouth to speak a few times, but eventually closed it, allowing his teal-haired friend to further explain himself.

Kuroko went on, as he turned his back on the blonde. "Let's go talk somewhere else first. I've arranged a meeting with some… old members."

The blonde tilted his head to the side, but quietly obliged.

They walked through the streets of Kanagawa, having short and casual conversations as they updated one another on their lives the other missed during the years void of contact. After thirty minutes or so, the two stopped and stood in front of one of the many unknown modeling agencies, Seirin Agency. Kise, being a popular celebrity, recognized the name, but didn't know much about the agency in general.

"Kurokocchi, why are we here?" The blonde asked.

Kuroko just shrugged and pushed open the glass doors.

"You'll see."

They walked up a creamy white staircase in companionable silence.

Kise noticed the building was quite small, but supposed it was because the agency was poor and lacked income from their models.

As the pair arrived at the top of the stairs, Kuroko walked up and knocked on one door that read, 'Hyuga Junpei' on top. "Hyuga-san, it's me."

"Kuroko? Come in."

Inside, there was a spectacled man massaging his temples in a tired and rhythmic manner. Next to him was a brunette who had her arms folded across her chest. Suddenly, the female's expression changed to one of shock as she noticed who was standing next to Kuroko. She pushed past the shorter male and grabbed hold of Kise's lean shoulders.

"You – you – you are – " She stumbled over her words each time she spoke, as she glanced back and forth from the singer to the teal-haired male. "Kuroko, you never said you were going to bring _Kise Ryouta_!"

"I never said that I wasn't going to bring Kise Ryouta either." Kuroko replied calmly, as Hyuga rubbed his chin.

"THAT'S NOT MY POINT, DO YOU _ACTUALLY_ KNOW WHO THIS PERSON IS? HE'S KISE RYOUTA, CHERRY ENTERTAINMENT'S MOST POPULAR CELEBRITY ALONG WITH THE MEMBERS OF THE BOY BAND, COPY CAT!" Riko looked ready to pull her hair out.

Kise didn't know what to do and just stood there awkwardly, watching the scene before him unfold.

"Yes, Aida-san, I do know who I brought in, thank you very much. He is my middle school colleague – I just thought he might be interested in taking up our proposal. There's still four more coming… though Kise-kun should be the most popular in the media among them right now." Riko looked like she was about to faint, but Hyuga just blinked.

"Hey, Kuroko."

"Yes, Hyuga-san?"

"Just a question… but does this guy know that he's going to have to be working for a poor model agency?"

"Obviously not."

"THEN THE PROBLEM LIES THERE, IDIOT!" Hyuga exclaimed, unintentionally going into his clutch mode. The blonde could just picture an animated volcano erupting in the background.

Kuroko held his hands up in self-protection, while Kise merely winced at the sudden rise of volume. Riko just shook her head, and glanced at the door, which was creaking open.

"To truly say, a whistling cow can be called – "

"Shun, shut up." Hyuga growled at the newcomer. Izuki Shun, the make up artist of Seirin Modeling Agency merely shrugged, and then caught notice of Kise Ryouta who was stiffly standing in the middle of the room. "What is he doing here?"

"I don't know who you are, but that wasn't necessary. At least address me by name." Kise twitched irritably.

Izuki shook his head. "That wasn't my intention and I know who you are. You're Kise Ryouta from Japan's top boy band, Copy Cat, right? Kuroko, is he one of your old friends that you said you will bring in?" Kuroko nodded before Izuki clucked his tongue appreciatively. "You must've had some great middle school friends."

"That's not the problem – God, you know what? Riko, check his stats."

"Already did. How am I supposed to calculate the stats of Kise Ryouta? He's _perfect_."

"Better than Kiyoshi?"

"Can't tell, honestly. He's pretty amazing though."

Kise glanced back and forth, patiently waiting for an explanation of the situation he was currently in. None of what had just happened made sense to him. He couldn't piece together how he wound up in such a… _strange_ position. Hyuga cleared his throat, and adjusted his tie, getting into his formal business mode – which he was rarely ever in.

"So to start off again, my name is Hyuga Junpei, the boss of Seirin Modeling Agency. Have you heard of us?"

The blonde looked quite troubled. "I have heard of you, but I don't know what kind of models you produce." Basically, he's heard nothing at all.

"That's fine. You see, our agency was formed just last year – and our first model was and still is Kuroko. Well, we did have someone else but he… stopped. So yeah…"

"Oh, your model was Kiyoshi Teppei, wasn't he? He was classified as one of the Kings, but was involved in a serious car accident, right?" Kise tilted his head to the side.

Hyuga nodded gravely and let out a sigh. "Yeah, but that's been a year already. My point is, after the incident, the income rate of our agency has been running really low With that said, I asked Kuroko whether he knew some talented people – no, screw that – _people_ in general. He said that he did so I told him to go ahead and invite some in, but I never thought he would bring _you_." The bespectacled man groaned. "Kuroko, don't you know? Kise can't come into our agency – he is already in Cherry Entertainment. It's _Cherry_ , Kuroko, there's no way it'll work."

"It might." The teal haired boy simply shrugged.

Kise slowly raised his hand into the air, reluctant to disrupt the conversation amongst the group of strangers with the exception of Kuroko, of course. "Uh, not meaning to interrupt or anything… but, er, who's the other four that'll be working here? If I decide to work here that is."

Kuroko glanced at him, and then spoke. "Akashi-kun, Midorima-kun, Murasakibara-kun, and Aomine-kun."

A tense and heavy silence fell over the room and no one dared to even move. It was as though broken glass had been scattered all over the floor, keeping them trapped and grounded in place.

"They're all names I've heard on TV at least once, and I don't know why." Riko mumbled, as put her hands on her hips firmly, a sign Kuroko recognized as her ready-to-explain pose.

"Akashi Seijuro, the genius boy in the world of law. Then there's Midorima Shintaro, the genius boy in world of modern science and only second to Akashi… Murasakibara Atsushi from the Murasakibara family who are famous for producing talented celebrities and stars. Aomine Daiki… the renown basketball prodigy in middle school, but I'm pretty sure he stopped and didn't even attend high school for an unknown reason."

Kise's expression froze for a moment, but returned it's ordinary relaxed state. "Kurokocchi… what are you trying to do?"

"Nothing, really." Kuroko mumbled silently, as he glanced at his watch. "It's two… they should be coming soon."

"You know, Kurokocchi, bringing those four back doesn't exactly sound like a good idea…"

The distant sound of bells ringing from downstairs echoed throughout the entire office.

"Coming!" Riko rushed down to the door, as Kuroko followed. Hyuga growled lowly, as if trying to repress his clutch mode from reappearing, while Kise just stood there.

He didn't want to meet those four again. It wasn't like they had some sort of special bond or friendship in middle school. As a matter of fact, they barely knew each other, which was the main reason why he didn't want to meet them again. They were friendly enough to remember each other's names and acknowledge one another, but they weren't fit in any way to be business partners. Kise just sighed and trudged after the workers of Seirin.

When they all gathered downstairs on the first floor, the blonde noticed Kuroko was talking to a red haired male – Akashi Seijuro – who had four other familiar people by his side.

"Ah, Ki-chan!" The blonde blinked as a pinkette slammed her giant chest into his.

"Momoicchi! You've changed a lot!" _Especially the size of your breasts,_ Kise thought shamelessly, as he looked down at the female.

"I'm so happy to finally see you again, Ki-chan! I see Ki-chan everywhere I go nowadays… it's been two years, hasn't it? Since the reunion!" Momoi held up her index finger, as if trying to remember the day, and Kise merely nodded. "It should've been around that long, yes."

"What the fuck am I doing here anyways? I still have work left today at the convenience store."

"Aomine, I understand it has been quite a while since our last meeting, but I strongly believe there is no need to demonstrate how… _colorful_ your language can get."

"Good for you, carrot." The tanned male shrugged nonchalantly.

"Aomine-kun, I beg of you over my prideful honor – please remain quiet. There is no need to be rude."

"Yes, yes, Akashi- _sama_."

"Mine-kun, your level of sarcasm is very low that it is crawling on the ground." The tallest drawled in a mocking and condescending tone.

"Mine-kun? I'm going to drive a pole up your – "

"Now, we are absolutely not crossing the line of 'innocence' today."

The indigo-haired male stuck his middle finger up in the air and spat on the ground.

Riko eyed the four men, and pinched her fingers over the bridge of her nose to prevent herself from passing out or worse, dying from serious hemorrhage. She turned around and madly whispered to Hyuga, and then she inhaled a deep breath to calm herself.

"So, Kuroko-kun…" Akashi looked at the boy. "What is your reason for calling us to such a place? Kyoto isn't exactly close to Tokyo."

"I apologize for having inconveniencing you all by asking you to come all the way here. Though, from here on out, it isn't exactly my place to speak, so for the details, you will need to listen to my boss here."

Hyuga stepped forward and repeated the same explanation he had provided to Kise. The four seemed to be in awe, just as Kise had been a few minutes ago. Midorima was the first one to open his mouth and speak.

"So, why is it that we were chosen for this position and not anyone else? I'm asking Kuroko here, of course."

Kuroko remained silent for a while, as if trying to think of a legitimate answer. "That is because, in the midst of me trying to remember my acquaintances, you were the ones who had the greatest amount of potential. I believe all of you had been quite famous during middle school for being top athletes – though you never participated in club activities with the exception of Aomine-kun and Kise-kun."

"Potential, I see." Akashi mumbled and refrained from saying more, as did everyone else. That was, until Izuki broke the tension.

"Uh, not trying to interrupt or anything, but I'm pretty sure that the ones with siblings here – they're all celebrities, correct? Popular?"

Kise smiled and nodded. "My sisters are both models working for Golden Time Modeling Agency."

"Two of my brothers are actors, my sister is a model, and my third brother is a photographer." Murasakibara grumbled. It went without saying that his parents were also well-known entertainers. He had sworn to himself that he would not follow in their path, but he wasn't sure whether his personal oath would follow through or not. Not with the given situation.

"Midorima-kun's sister is an idol. You know, the famous little girl, Midorima Shizuka." Kuroko explained, noticing Midorima twitch in discomfort.

"Big families you're introducing to us here." Hyuga grumbled before he went on in a clearer and more professional tone. "The thing is, we're pretty… well, to simply put it, we're being pushed off the ledge here, about to fall and crash. We need the best models we can possibly find right now, do you get what I mean? And Riko here says that you guys have enormous potential, proven by Kuroko – but the thing is, I don't know whether I can trust that judgement or not." He took out a cigarette and casually lit it. "And we don't even know whether you guys are willing to really work as our models."

"They don't have reasons to, you mean." A rough voice entered the room.

All eyes landed on a dark red haired male who glared at the five strangers. "Are these the dudes you mentioned, Kuroko?"

Kuroko nodded, as the new guest approached the five and scanned them head to toe. "They don't look much. You sure they're good?"

"What was that now?" Aomine growled.

Kagami Taiga, the red-haired male, rolled his eyes and repeated slowly. "You guys don't look much. Besides, I don't see the reason why you guys would _want_ to become models. Specifically, you and you." Kagami stated bluntly, all the while pointing at Akashi and Midorima. "You two got accepted into that great Tokyo University, right? Passed the tests with full scores on the entrance exams or something. Not my business, but yeah. And then you and you." He then pointed at Murasakibara and Kise. "You two are just rich buddies. Why would you need to become a model of all things?" He glanced at Aomine. "I don't know who _you_ are, but you certainly don't look like you want to become a model either way."

"Now, Kagami-kun, we don't know about that yet." Kuroko said quietly, then he sighed. "Though you might be right."

"Let's get the obvious done with first." Akashi spoke up. "What are the merits of us joining your agency, or becoming a model of your agency? It is a poor company like you said, and the way you are trying to recruit us as your models sounds as risky as betting all your money on the first round of a gamble. Not a very intelligent move, if I dare say. The most serious question we have to consider though, is whether anything will change upon our arrival?"

"Why don't you check it out with your own eyes?" Riko huffed, her arms folded.

"How so?" Momoi carefully questioned.

The brunette grinned. "Follow me."

Riko ran ahead of everyone else. Kuroko and Kagami exchanged a wary look before following after her.

They were soon in a small room that appeared to be a studio. Inside, there were three men who Riko was barking orders at.

"Riko, 'B&W' or with color?"

"'B&W'!"

"How about make up?"

"No, it'll just be a test shoot."

"Accessories?"

"Scarves and sunglasses – and bring that chair here."

Kagami sat near the back, getting his camera ready.

"So, what are we doing here?" Kise asked curiously.

Riko rolled her eyes. "You're going to firsthand experience what you'll be doing almost everyday if you choose to join our agency. Now, you wear this scarf. Midorima-kun can change his glasses into these, and Akashi-kun should try this hat. Koganei, tie Murasakibara-kun's hair for him, will you? Aomine-kun, you wear the white scarf… yes, perfect."

"Manager, group or single?" Kagami questioned.

Riko just shrugged. "Group!"

Kagami nodded and adjusted his lenses.

"Now, go stand there!" Riko commanded before the five did as they were told. They all looked awkward – well, the only one who seemed to be adjusting well to the situation was Kise, as he shot several commercials with his band. "As for the rest, you should listen to Kagami-kun."

Kagami seemed to wonder what to do with the five, as he looked back and forth from the chair to the males. Then after a few seconds, he finally started talking.

"Akashi, you sit on the chair. Don't look that stiff, relax your shoulders… yeah, just like that. Put your arm on the handle and cross your legs. Act like a king sitting on his throne filled with dignity… yes exactly! Great. Stay like that. Midorima, put your right hand on the edge of the chair. Yes. And then use your left hand to hold your sunglasses, and pose as if you are about to take them off. Yeah, stay precisely like that."

He twisted the lenses a little, and continued. "Kise, you look good like that, but try holding onto your scarf and cover your lips a little with it. Look mysterious. Yeah, that looks better. Murasakibara, face the right a little more – your right, that is, and put your hand on Midorima's shoulder. Lastly, Aomine, hold the handle of the chair, and look sideways. Still look at the camera, though… and keep that glare. Yeah."

"One… two… three."

A click echoed through the room and the photo appeared on Riko's laptop screen. The brunette almost dropped the cup of coffee she was holding as she looked at the picture.

"Oh… god. Oh god. _Junpei_ – I mean, boss, you've _got_ to look at this. They look great! How are these guys just normal civilians with no experience?" She mumbled, as Hyuga grunted.

"They look good, I'll give you that much."

The five said 'models' gathered around the screen in curiosity. They were surprised to see themselves posed quite professionally. The photo was in black and white, giving off a very mysterious aura, as though beckoning viewers to stop and stare. With Akashi in the center with the rest surrounding him and the 'throne', the juxtaposition made the four models appear as though they were part of a secret organization straight out of horror-fantasy story.

"So, this is the talent you guys possess." Riko said in her clear voice. "I understand that some of you have a rather promising future ahead, but I don't think it's a bad idea to have another career for now, just in case." She shrugged as if she was just trying to give them advice, rather than a contract for a job.

Akashi paused. "Will you show me the sheet? The contract sheet that is." Riko grinned and handed him the packet of papers. He flipped through them and looked up at the brunette again.

"I live in Kyoto and Murasakibara-kun lives in Akita. How will you deal with that?"

"Wait, Akashi, I never said I would – "

"We have an apartment complex of some sorts for models that work for us. That can be your new home. We will also provide you with everything you need." Izuki was quick to respond.

"Salary?"

"That goes up the more you work."

Silence filled the room for only a short second.

"Very well." Akashi picked up the pen and signed the sheet. "I will work as model for your agency." The redhead glanced at the other four standing awkwardly behind him. He gave them an expectant look and Momoi nudged Aomine forward.

"Okay." They all stepped forward to sign, and Riko smiled.

"Welcome, to Seirin Modeling Agency."

 **End of Chapter.**

 **Thanks again, to my beta-reader** _ **chrisalyscence**_ **or looking over and editing this chapter!**

 **Just in case you guys are confused – Kuroko is a model here, and will work with the Generation of Miracles. They were classmates in middle schools, but weren't that close – which is why they aren't very friendly with one another – of course, Kise and Kuroko are the exception, which will be explained further throughout the story.**

 **And yes, Kagami is a photographer here.**

 **Please vote for who Kuroko should be paired with, as well! If you're too lazy to vote on the poll, review the name of the character!**

 **Uh, I like reviews, but you know. I can live if there aren't many.**

 **Until my next update,**

 **-Meiko-**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for all the support, guys! I never expected to get so much attention just from the first chapter and all that.**

 **And I'm fine with GoM x Kuroko – except the fact that at the end, I do need Kuroko to end up with one person at the end – and therefore, I will leave the poll open. Akashi has the most votes for now.**

 **Enjoy Chapter 2!**

 **Chapter 2~ Becoming Models**

"So, this is our… uh, house." Kuroko unlocked to the quite big apartment room they were going to use as long as the contract went. "Kagami-kun lives next door, so if I'm not here, you can ask for him to help with anything. Unless you figure it out yourself, of course."

"There's no way I'm asking that idiot." Aomine grumbled.

"I agree with you, for once." Midorima fixed the position of his glasses, as they entered together.

The apartment itself was quite large – the living room itself had two couches and a long table in the middle, with a TV hanging on the wall. There were three rooms with bunk beds in each, two desks, and two everything in each of them.

"Who'll be sharing rooms with who, though?" Kise put his hand up in a curious manner. "We don't really know eachother, so I guess it won't matter greatly, but you know. It might be crucial." His voice crawled in, seeing the cold expression of Akashi staring at his own. "… Or not… you know…"

"Such things can be decided quickly. Like…"

"Rock-paper-scissors."

"No."

"There's a six pieces of paper here." Midorima cleared his throat, as if had everything in mind before he arrived. "Two pieces of paper with numbers one, two, and three. If you pick the same number, you get the same room."

"When did you get this ready?" Murasakibara mumbled under his breath, munching on his maiubo. His words were muffled, so barely anyone understood him anyways. They all reached for a piece of paper, and a variety of expressions spread across their faces.

"So…" Aomine grumbled. "Who has two?"

"Me, quite unfortunately." Kuroko responded, crinkling the paper in his palm. Aomine twitched.

"What's that supposed to mean, unfortunately?"

"Nothing, really." Kuroko glanced at the other four that were comparing papers. "What about you guys?"

"I'm sharing a room with Midorima-kun." Akashi smiled. "I am quite satisfied, seeing that I wouldn't need to lecture anyone about their behavior, at least." The green-headed male nodded in pure agreement.

"Of course. It's always nice to have an organized roommate, for once – it gives a strike of comfort for the day, after having to be stuck with rowdy and rambunctious business partners." Midorima said as a reply – with said business partners (minus Kuroko) glaring at him in the background.

"Well, I'm fine with Murasakibara-kun." Kise shrugged. "Though, it would've been nicer if I was with Kurokocchi." Murasakibara didn't say anything, as if he didn't want to leave any unnecessary commentary. He just casually threw his maiubo wrapper in the bin, and yawned.

"Let's talk about the rest later. Unpack your things, and we'll meet when we're free. Of course, we'll be free for the whole day, so that's not exactly significant." Akashi said, stepping away. Midorima followed, as they disappeared into the first room, closing the door behind them.

"He's acting like the boss." Aomine grunted, as he dragged himself towards the second room he chose, along with Kuroko who carried a suitcase that was half as big as his own body.

When Kise entered the third room, the first thing he did was examine the bunk bed. The only problem of it might be that it didn't have a ladder up to the upper bed – but that was okay. "Murasakibara-kun, can I use the bed on the top? I always had to use the one on the bottom when I was with my seniors, so…"

Murasakibara put his own luggage down on the wooden floor. "I don't really care. I always had to use the upper one because my brothers were all taller than me, and it wasn't a nice experience to always bend my back whenever I woke up."

 _His brothers are taller than him? What kind of family is that tall?_ Kise thought, only to remember the two twin actors – Murasakibara Asuhi and Murasakibara Ayui. They were famous for their excellent acting skill and talent – and they often took roles of main characters in dramas.

"Anyways… if we're done unpacking, we should go back to the living room. Akashi-kun will be waiting for us." Murasakibara stacked his baggage of chips to the side, and exited the room. Kise blinked. "Right." He jumped out of his bed, careful not to crash into the ceiling.

The others were there, except Kuroko, who claimed to have gone to the bathroom. They all sat on the couch except Aomine, who sat on the floor.

"So, would you mind explaining why we are here, right now." Midorima glanced at Akashi. "Makes me curious, really."

The red head simply tilted his head to the side. "I was going to say that now that we are living 'together', it would be good to divide jobs, for the whole system to work freely. There would be six main duties to be done. First, cooking. We might be able to order take-outs, but now that we are models, we do need strict diets. Aida-san guaranteed the fact that she would be taking care of our budget, so all we need to do is purchase the necessities."

"I can do that." Murasakibara spoke silently. "I did the cooking for my family when I was young, anyways. And I was in the Health committee in high school."

Akashi eyed the male, and slowly nodded. "Very well – then Murasakibara-kun can do the cooking, for the rest of the time we stay here. I decided to clean the house with Midorima-kun… the other chores left will be throwing away the trash stacked up in the house, doing the dishes… oh, and buying the food. Buying and cooking are different, you see."

"I'll do the dishes." Kise volunteered – only because it sounded the easiest.

"I can throw away the trash." Kuroko appeared out of nowhere, freaking Aomine out – the person that just happened to be next to him.

"Then Aomine-kun, please do the buying."

"Fine, fine…"

"Now, that we have all our jobs settled…" Akashi sighed. "I am hoping today we don't have any schedules so we can just remain-"

The door slammed open, as Riko entered. "A job, guys!"

"… Though it doesn't seem like that's what's going to happen." Akashi clucked his tongue in disappointment. The red headed male enjoyed resting – basically, staying relaxed. He didn't enjoy becoming a workaholic as much.

"Uh, can we at least have a cup of tea with some strawberry shortcake and-"

"No." Riko cut Murasakibara off, causing the purple head to twist his face in discomfort. "Come on, I will explain everything else in the van. Get your lazy butts downstairs, after getting changed."

"Mido-kun, can butts get lazy?" Murasakibara questioned curiously, as Midorima fixed his spectacles and turned away.

"I do not want to answer that question."

"… But why?"

"It's because you are a stupid ass with no talent of insight." Aomine grumbled, as Kise frowned.

"No, don't you usually call that lack in reading context?"

Kuroko shook his head, exiting the door first and heading downstairs, using the elevator. Seirin's van was waiting for them there, Koganei Shinji, the hairdresser of the agency being the driver. (Just because of the reason that they didn't have enough money to hire a driver.) Kuroko sat in the front row next to Riko, while Akashi, Midorima, and Kise sat in the second, and Aomine and Murasakibara sat in the last.

"Is Kagami-kun coming with us?" Kuroko glanced at his superior, and Riko just shook her head, tapping her notebook with her pen in her mouth. Koganei gave the longer explanation.

"The place we're going today just happens to be Cherry Entertainment, you see. They have their own photographer, so it sounded like we didn't need to bring Kagami with us. Besides, doesn't every entertainment or agency have their own photographer? Of course we don't need to bring Kagami with us." Aomine grunted, as if he was quite satisfied by the fact that Kagami wasn't coming with them.

"By the way, Kise, you're from Cherry Entertainment, right? Well, at least you're partially from them. How's the photographer there?" Riko finally looked up, her eyes filled with pure interest. Kise blinked, looking confused for a moment, wondering whether the manager was speaking to him.

"Oh… he's a nice guy. Enterprising, I should say. It's not that hard to get friendly with him. I get along with him well, because of his open personality." Riko hummed a little, and the asked again.

"Does he take good pictures?"

"Yeah, he's as good as Kagami-kun. He's been working at Cherry for… let's see… since he's about twenty one right now… he's been working at the entertainment for five years." The manager looked startled.

"He's been working as a photographer for five years? Now that I think of it, I never heard anything about the photographer of Cherry… If he's twenty-one right now, and has been working for five years, that means he started around his first year of high school… why haven't I ever heard about him?"

Kise spoke up, to clear the fogged confusion that seemed to be floating in the air. "Oh, that's because… well, it sounded like he didn't like gathering attention when he was in high school – furthermore, his school was very strict and traditional, so they didn't allow students to get actual jobs until they graduated or anything. It's kind of like how some schools don't allow students to get part-time jobs. Let's see… his school was called… Shutoku, I think. Yeah, it was called Shutoku. A power school for basketball." Kise smiled, holding up his index finger, as if that proved the point.

Midorima scowled. "Shutoku, you said?" The blonde nodded.

"Yeah, Shutoku. He said it was strict but kind of fun." Midorima looked down and shrugged. He wasn't the only student that was ever from Shutoku in Japan – he supposed it wasn't something to be so shaken up about.

"Now that I think of it, Midorima, you're from Shutoku, aren't you?" Koganei glanced at the expressionless image of Midorima through the mirror. Midorima nodded, as Koganei just went on. "You're from a pretty famous school, huh. Where are you guys all from? Just curious, you know. You don't need to answer if you don't feel like it."

"I'm from Kaijo. Well, used to be. Our band members are actually all from Kaijo, you see – they're all my seniors from the basketball club I was in." Kise explained excitedly, jumping up and down – much to the waspish glare Midorima was giving him.

"I used to go to high school in Yosen…" Murasakibara shrugged. "But it's not that special. The only interesting thing was that it's teaching style was American, because of all the foreign students we had."

"Rakuzan didn't accept foreign students." Akashi closed his eyes and turned his body towards the window. "It's wasn't a boring school, but it wasn't that eventful either. Which is perfectly fine, to my taste."

Aomine rolled his eyes. "Who has a taste for schools, anyways?" Then he paused. "I only graduated middle school. I worked full-time, from then on, helping out with my mom's shop. Satsuki went to Touou, though. She often brought her seniors from the basketball club in. It was annoying."

"A shop, huh? What kind of shop is it?" Kise asked, as Aomine leaned back on the chair.

"It's just a small café. Nothing big, but not totally nothing either." Kise nodded, as he sat back on his seat properly, due to the dark expression Midorima was giving him from the side. He finally buckled his seat belt and crossed his legs and kept silent, causing the whole van to grow quite awkward for the remainder of the trip. Koganei had internally wished that it was Mitobe who had been chosen to drive, not him (as Mitobe didn't mind awkward silence) – but Hyuga would always go against the idea, because Mitobe never spoke, whatever the situation.

The car stopped in front of a gigantic building, which had two words, "Cherry Entertainment" in shiny font at the very top. Koganei went ahead to place the car in the parking lot, as Kise led the way inside.

"Kise, where _were_ you?" An unknown celebrity greeted the blonde, slapping his arm. Kise laughed nervously, habitually holding up his two hands in a rather defensive position.

"Uh… I was… I took a break, for a while." He responded, not knowing what to say. The unknown celebrity looked behind him, meeting eyes with the other five – though Kuroko doubted the fact that the male had seen him properly, blended in with the crowd.

"Who are those people? Colorful hair you guys have – and here I thought your blonde hair was weird enough for a Japanese person." The male laughed a little.

"Uh, middle school colleagues… they came to uh, look around… and stuff." Kise explained. "Um, you know, we're kind of busy, so… yeah." The blonde attempted to slip through the people and avoid the celebrity.

"Who's that?" Aomine grumbled. "I don't like how his face is arranged."

"Aomine-kun, a person's face is arranged against their will since their birth." Kuroko pointed out, as the indigo haired spat on the ground, not able to deny that certain fact.

"Oh, he's just… a fellow celebrity. I don't really get along with him, so I try to avoid the locations of his presence at all costs." Kise shrugged, the color of his face sort of blue.

"There's someone you don't get along with? Impressive, never knew." Akashi replied, gazing at the unknown celebrity that seemed to be interfering with everyone's business, whoever he passed by coincidence.

"Akashi-kun, that's mean!" Kise looked hurt, as he twisted his expression into a one that was in the middle of a pout and sulky face.

The said red head just sighed lightly. "I was joking." Midorima eyed him, and then opened his mouth to make a comment.

"You can't joke, Akashi." This was not introduced to Kuroko and the others, but Akashi Seijuro and Midorima Shintaro were good friends in middle school – and for Akashi, Midorima was the closest to a friend he ever got. So really, Midorima knew him the best. Which was why Akashi couldn't exactly say anything back, except shrug when Midorima made that certain commentary.

A few minutes later, Koganei came rushing towards their side. "Geez, sorry I am so late! This place is so big – compared to our agency, I mean. Did you wait a long time? I apologize-"

"Shut up, idiot – we need to get to work." Riko grumbled. "We're late by a minute already. At this rate, we'll be rumored as a poor agency that doesn't even keep easy promises." She glanced at her watch, and quickly pressed the button of the elevator. "Kise-kun, please take us to that photographer, will you? You should know this place the best." The singer nodded, as he pressed the number eleven on the board.

" _ **This is the eleventh floor – please have a nice day at our Cherry Entertainment."**_

"They talk like they're some hotel." Aomine pointed out, as Kuroko nodded. Kise walked towards the office at the very end of the long corridor. Murasakibara stared at the name that was just in initials "T. K." – it seemed to be some kind of fake name for his photographing. Kise did mention that the person didn't like getting too much attention, after all. The blonde knocked on the door, as a muffled sound of someone's response came. By the sound of it, the person was seemingly saying, "Come in."

Inside, a raven haired man was sitting on his desk, holding up his bangs with a headband – he had a pen in his mouth, and was examining photos of different models and bands, and momentarily he would take the pen out from his mouth and write something down next to the photos.

"Takaocchi, are you working on your notes again?" Kise stuck his head through the desk, crouching next to the photographer. "Looks boring… and yet you work on these till midnight." The said male, Takao, dabbed the pen into Kise's forehead.

"This is all for you _damn_ models, thank you very much. If only I didn't know you since high school, I would've punched you in the stomach for bothering my…" Takao stopped talking, as he caught his eye on the clock in the room. "Shit. I had a photo shoot today. Oh god, I'm dead-"

"Uh, excuse me?" Riko cleared her throat, stopping Takao from ripping his hair out as his headband dropped on the floor. Kuroko quietly picked it up and handed it back the owner.

"Thanks." Takao mumbled, still a little panicked. "Yes?"

"We're Seirin Model Agency – you're the photographer for us today, right?" Riko checked again, as Takao blinked.

"Right. Seirin. Yeah, I mean, I'm the only photographer present today, so it must be me. Sorry I look so disorganized – I completely forgot about the appointment, because I was cleaning some files and…" He trailed off, as he saw the colorful hair gang. He approached them, pushing past Riko and Koganei.

"You." Takao pointed at Midorima. "You! Oh gosh, it's _you_!" The green head looked down at the messy haired raven, and raised his eyebrows.

"Sorry, do I know you?"

Takao snorted. "Do you know me? Yes, if you're a cautious person you should know me – but your blood type is B, isn't it? People with the blood type B don't exactly have good personalities, so I'll go over that. **(Don't feel bad, all the blood type B people reading this – this is purely based on the people in my family.)** I used to pull you around in that ridiculous- what was it… rickshaw? Yeah, rickshaw! Though it was only once…" Takao saw that Midorima was looking clueless, and just sighed heavily. "You clearly don't remember me. Well, that doesn't matter anymore, I suppose."

Then he adverted his gaze towards Kuroko – in which the teal haired boy was startled – because no one has ever noticed him so easily. "Hello." Takao smiled at him, as Kuroko greeted him silently back.

"Well, let me introduce myself in a more formal manner." Takao cleared his throat, grinning. "My name is Takao Kazunari, professional photographer working for Cherry Entertainment. My fake… you know, kind of like a pen name of sorts, is T. K. I don't care if you call me by that, or by Takao, or by Kazunari – it doesn't matter."

Riko reached out her hand. "My name is Aida Riko, manager of Seirin Model Agency. We originally have another one recruited a few days ago, named Momoi Satsuki, but she's still kind of like a trainee so she didn't come with us today. This is Koganei Shinji, our… hairdresser and driver. Nice to meet you." Takao smiled and nodded, shaking hands with her.

"How about them?" Takao tilted his head to the side. "I know Midorima-kun and Kise, of course."

"Akashi Seijuro – it's a pleasure to make of your acquaintance." The hetero-eyed male smiled, as Takao flinched at the highly formal introduction. It was short, but it proved the fact that Akashi had been educated to act as politely as possible to everyone related to business.

"Aomine Daiki." Takao could easily tell that this guy didn't have much of a 'I-am-the-friendliest-dude-in-the-world' vibe, unlike Kise.

"I'm Murasakibara Atsushi… and excuse me, but where's the bathroom?" The giant asked lazily, as Takao pointed backward. Murasakibara mumbled a short thanks and stepped past the crowd. _That guy's from the Murasakibara family? Well, the height definitely proves a believable point, but his personality sure differs from his siblings…_

"My name is Kuroko Tetsuya. Nice to meet you, Takao-san." Kuroko gave him a nod, as Takao smiled.

"Well, once Murasakibara-kun comes back from the bathroom, we can move to the studio." Murasakibara stepped out, as if to answer this particularly made speech, as Takao stretched his arms. "Well, let's go, shall we?"

On the way to the studio, the rest remained silent just like they had in the car, while Takao and Riko chatted busily about the theme of the photos they were going to take that particular day.

"Kazunari, are you going to go with normal, cove, or daylight?" An unknown male approached Takao.

"Daylight, because today the sun looks good… and also because of the theme for today's photo shoot." The photographer replied, as the latter ran down the emergency staircase to get ready. _(A daylight studio is a studio lit by natural light, usually through windows and skylights. [ . ])_

They only went down one floor, causing them to use the stairs instead the elevator. They entered the daylight studio that had a whole wall that was just a gigantic glass window itself. Bright sunlight shone through, as Takao grinned. "It's a lucky day."

"Takao-san, today's theme is with color, right?"

"Of course – if it's black and white, there's no point to anything!"

"Configuration?" _(How many models there are in each photo shoot.)_

Takao seemed to think about that. "We'll take singles, and groups."

"We'll start the make up right now, immediately!"

"Thanks." Takao twisted the lenses into the camera, and then glanced at the group. "What are you doing? Follow her – she'll take you to the dressing room." He pointed at the woman that was already going through the door. Riko pushed them towards the exit, as they forcibly dragged themselves to follow her.

The make up artists and hairdressers, even the stylists talked amongst one another – that the unknown models that were never heard of on the boards, were definitely hotties. They fixed up their hair, dressed them into clothes, and put some light make up on them.

In the end, all of them were wearing a white long sleeved button down shirt, and loose light blue pants. All of them were barefoot, and had rather natural hair that was kind of tangled – so that it made them look like they just got out of bed. Of course, Kuroko's tangled hair couldn't compare to how his bed head originally looked like, but that was irrelevant.

"Done? Great, just give me a sec… I'm almost done. Kaoru-chan, will you place pillows and blankets over there? Thanks. Kobayashi-kun, will you cover the windows with the curtains a bit so only the middle of the room would be lit? Yeah, perfect." Takao looked quite professional as he instructed the staff around, unlike his clumsy and scattered self when he was in his office.

In the end, the only the middle of the studio was lit with light – the rest was quite dark, enough to call it pitch-black. The pillows were thrown carelessly around the floor on purpose, and so was the blanket – but it was placed with much sensitivity, so that it didn't cover the pillows too much, or the sunlit portion of the room.

"So, who wants to go first?" Takao asked, as the models frowned.

"Can we at least know what this is supposed to be about?"

The photographer blinked for a while, as if he had no idea what they were talking about. "Oh, you mean the theme. This photo shoot is originally for a teenage girl magazine, _Coco_. As you know, for middle schoolers, summer break is almost over – so for them, _Coco_ decided to give a message through the models – a new start. The sunlit part of the room is supposed to express the image of a new special beginning that stands out. You guys will be there, as if a person that just woke up from their sleep and getting ready for a new day – new day, new start, new everything. Get it?" Takao explained to the best of his limits, as the models just nodded.

"So, who's going first?" Takao glanced at his watch.

"I will!" Kise jumped up and down, as Takao smirked, as if he was helpless.

"Yeah, since you have experience, that sounds logical. Get on the studio, Kise." The blonde stood in the middle of the studio, looking natural – being that this wasn't his first time.

Takao concentrated, as he held his camera. "Kise, sit down right in the middle, crossing your legs like you would at home. Look as rational and normal as possible. Put one leg a little more forward, it doesn't matter which side. Yeah. Will you put your right hand on that pillow next to you?" Kise did as he was told, as the female staff squealed.

"Okay, now unbutton your shirt." Takao said, as Kise blinked.

"What?"

"You heard me. Unbutton your shirt. This magazine is for girls, Kise – it's called a nice amount of some fan service. Now unbutton that damn shirt."

The blonde looked nervous, but he did as he was told, and unbuttoned three of his buttons on his shirt. "Wait, stop like that!" Takao shouted, as Kise jumped – he was on his way of unbuttoning the fourth button that was about to reveal the perfect six-pack he had beneath. Of course, he looked sexy enough with his upper body – his chest was slightly showing through the gap of the shirt, as his collarbone was shining very slightly because of the sunlight. Kuroko swore that he saw a few nosebleeds in the corner of the dark studio.

"Kise, try making a nostalgic expression, as if you want to meet someone from the old past… Swipe your bangs upward, with your left hand. Keep your right on that pillow." A few flashes continued, as Takao gave a satisfied grin. "Awesome Kise, you're done. Good as usual."

"I'll go next." Murasakibara yawned, which surprised the lot. "What?" He frowned. "I'm just too lazy to do it later on, that's all."

Takao nodded. "The faster it ends, the better it is." Murasakibara sat down, and waited for the instructions. "For you, I think it'll be better to just unbutton the whole shirt." The raven said.

"Eh~? Why only me…" Murasakibara pouted, as the female staff waited with their eyes wide. The male staff just sighed, staring at their own pitiful bodies. As expected, Murasakibara's body looked lean and better than some professional models – which was a serious surprise, considering the amount of junk he ate each day. His shoulders were broad, and his arms and legs were a little thin and long. **(I'll say that Murasakibara's body isn't as muscular in the anime, because he doesn't play basketball at all in this story. To be easily said, he looks more feminine.)** His stomach was lined with a six-pack, but even so, it was flat and admirable, lined perfectly.

"He's giving me wrong thoughts with his shirt unbuttoned, and he even has long hair." Aomine grumbled, as Kuroko shook his head and gave him a chastising nudge. Though what Aomine said wasn't completely a lie, as Kuroko could see that some male staffs were also turning red.

"Murasakibara-kun… let me see… can you spread your legs out to the side, and lean a little backward? Don't escape the sunlit side though – your whole body is so long. If it's hard, then support yourself by putting your left hand backward. Let your shirt slip sideways, so it shows the rest of your lower torso." He took a picture, and then moved on.

"This time, fold your legs just like Kise did, and grab that blanket and just throw it over your legs. And if it doesn't taste too bad, can you kind of… uh, put the hem of the blanket in your mouth, and support your chin with your right hand?"

Murasakibara scowled. "This tastes disgusting."

"Sorry, just stay like that for three seconds. Great. Ok, you're done." Some male staffs looked disappointed to hear that, and even more looked disappointed as he buttoned up his shirt again.

"Oh, and I by the way, you guys are the only ones taking the singles." Takao said, as Kise tilted his head to the side.

"Why?"

"Patience, blondie – I am about to explain that very reason for you. The magazine company – _Coco_ , only asked for two single models in the first place – the rest, which we have two more – are all group photos. Which serves the purpose right, I guess, if there are too many single photos, it gets kind of boring. So all of you on the studio, now."

"But I just got off…" Murasakibara sulked, as he sighed. The studio was sort of crowded, now that all six of them were on – and it was sure that not all of them would fit into the sunlit area of the studio.

"All of you guys, lie down. Keep your head in the sunlit side though – and lie down in any position you want. Just make sure your face is facing upward. Kuroko-kun, you won't sit down – stand up in front of the window, will you?" Kuroko did as he was told, and what he did caused lesser sunlight to enter the room, darkening it. He didn't cover everything, though, because his body was pretty thin – and it casted a shadow on the faces of the other five.

"Ok, next pose. This time, it'll be kind of the same – Kuroko-kun, stay in the middle of the room. The rest of you, surround him. Let's see… Akashi-kun, put your head down on Kuroko-kun's lap, and lie down." Akashi looked uncomfortable, all right – but he just did as he was told.

"I apologize, Kuroko-kun." He mumbled quietly.

"It's ok." Was the reply passed on.

"Murasakibara-kun, hold Kuroko-kun's hand, as if… as if he's this princess in a fairy tale. Yeah, just like that. Kise, stand sideways and put your hand on Kuroko-kun's shoulders. Midorima-kun, take off your glasses and sit down, and lean on Kuroko-kun's left shoulder. Aomine-kun, you can lie down in the middle, between Kuroko-kun's legs. Okay, all of you stay like that." A clicking sound echoed throughout the whole room, and just like that, their first official photo shoot was done.

 _THE NEXT DAY…_

"GUYS! GUYS!" Kise shouted, waking up everyone in the morning, as he jumped down from his second floor bed. Murasakibara whined, and the others gave their respective bothered reactions. "We're on the news!"

That helped him gather some attention. All six of them gathered around Kise's laptop, (which was the first thing Kise opened every morning) and saw the title of the article that was on the top of page, in bold letters.

" _ **New Models of Seirin Agency… A Rival to the Four Kings?"**_

"Click on the fucking thing, idiot." Aomine urged him, impatient. Kise obliged without a single word of complaint.

 _ **Today morning, 'Coco' magazine has presented their new edition for July, introducing some new models to our list. The names of these models are Akashi Seijuro (21), Midorima Shintaro (21), Aomine Daiki (21), Murasakibara Atsushi (21), Kise Ryouta (21), and Kuroko Tetsuya (21). These six models are all from Seirin Model Agency, a rather small agency unheard of to the media.**_

" _ **They were even more fun to take pictures of, than most professional models in stardom. I believe they will be the strongest opponent against the Four Kings, Mibuchi Reo (22), Hanamiya Makoto (22), Hayama Kotaro (22), and Nebuya Eikichi (22)." Says T. K., the photographer of Cherry Ent. We are currently looking forward to the continuous success of these new stars that appeared.**_

 _ **-Yurashi Mira-**_

Below the article were the pictures they took yesterday. The single photos looked great, with a sexy body frame of Kise and Murasakibara – but the group photos were even more breathtaking. In the photo where they were all instructed to lie down except Kuroko, at first you couldn't really see Kuroko, due to his lack of presence – and you could only see the shadow of the boy lying on the five males that had their eyes closed. But Kuroko's figure became clearer and clearer, until you saw a teal haired boy staring right at you from the photo, as if he knew every single thought of the reader's mind.

The second photo, where they all surrounded Kuroko – it looked quite refreshing, mainly because of the fact that Kuroko was expressionless – but the rest of them were all looking alone, as if they missed a certain important person – which in the picture, was portrayed to be Kuroko.

"We look pretty incredible." Aomine pointed out, as Kise chuckled.

"That's sure right, Aominecchi."

"Aominecchi? Why the sudden change?"

"I felt like it."

"You idiot."

Their career was only starting…

 **End of Chapter.**

 **So, I hope you liked this chapter. It's kind of hard explaining everything… especially their bodies and all. But I managed.**

 **Finally, they'll start adding suffixes to their names! The next chapter though, would rather be an episode where Kuroko and the rest interact – as you know, they are living in the same house… under the same roof… lucky Aomine, getting to sleep with wondrous goddess.**

 **It seems like Harem Kuroko is getting the most votes for now. I'll leave the poll open though, because like I said above, I NEED Kuroko to end up with someone in the end – I'm not going to have five males sharing Kuroko as they go out and do stuff, you know.**

 **So yeah. I hope you enjoyed the chapter… and you guys were awesome with the reviews. Thanks for the support. I like reviews.**

 **~Meiko~**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3~ In the House**

 _RIIINNNGGG!_

"TETSU, I TOLD YOU STOP TURNING ON THE ALARM WHEN YOU AREN'T EVEN GOING TO WAKE UP!"

"… Vanilla… milkshake…"

"HEY, YOU HEAR ME?"

One week has passed since five brand new models have signed their contracts with Seirin Model Agency, and that very day was their so called weekly day-off – something Riko had decided, so they didn't feel as restrained and distressed. But as usual, Aomine Daiki was the first one to wake up, (not upon his own will) because of his teal haired roommate that always forgot to turn his alarm clock off when he wasn't even going to wake up.

"It's fucking six… what are you telling me to do this early in the morning? Go to school?" Aomine grumbled as he dragged himself out of his room barefoot. (All of them stayed home barefoot, but anyways.)

"Aomine, you're early again. I never saw you as the morning types, but I guess I was mistaken." Midorima was sitting on the couch, watching Oha Asa. He had a cup of hot black coffee in his right hand, with the remote in his left.

The said indigo male yawned. "I'm not a freaking morning type. I am just becoming one because of someone that is attempting to become a morning type." _But fails epically._ He thought mentally, as Midorima turned off the television.

"Well, be careful. They say it'll be a very unlucky day for Virgos. Your lucky item is a pair of tongs – do you have them?" Midorima questioned, as Aomine groaned.

"Why would anyone carry around tongs? And how the fuck did you know I was a Virgo, anyways?"

"I saw the contract sheet you have signed. I caught an eye on all of yours, so I know all your signs. Pretty simple."

Aomine just dragged himself to the kitchen and poured himself some coffee as well – though it wasn't very hot anymore. _What day was it today… right, it's Friday. Friday… if I was at home, then it'll be the days where I need to go all the way to Hokkaido for a special delivery. No more of that shit… how nice._

When he came back with the beverage, he slumped down on the floor. "Is Akashi still asleep?"

"Yes, quite unexpectedly." Hearing Midorima's stern response, Aomine blinked.

"That dude's still asleep? Is normality finally punching his face?"

Midorima shrugged as he leaned back on the couch. "I wouldn't say so. He slept merely an hour ago, because his father sent him some files to organize. I volunteered to help, but it was personal business of the family so I couldn't interfere, exactly. I am assuming he will at least stay asleep until ten."

Aomine turned towards the television as he turned it on, taking the remote from Midorima. "Too bad for him. Well, it's irregular for anyone to actually wake up at six in the morning."

"I woke up at five thirty, mind you." Midorima remarked, as he motioned Aomine to switch channels as some weird Korean drama came on.

"Come on, this is my favorite program."

Midorima glared at him. "In Korean dramas, all the main characters happen to be siblings, all the side characters are in love triangles, and it's filled with incapable nonsense. Now switch the channel. It's time for the news."

"You're no fun." Aomine growled, but switched the channel anyways.

" _ **Today afternoon, the Four Kings from Golden Time Agency are having a "free" photo shoot time with their fans – as a result, there are more than thousands of people gathered around Tokyo tower, the location where the photo shoot will be held. We will try to contact with…"**_

"Four Kings, huh." The tanned male repeated with a bored expression spreading all over his face. "The cheetah, the gorilla, the gay, and the jackass." He pointed at each one of them that were being introduced on the screen. Midorima mentally smirked.

"They say it used be Five Kings. The other one was in this agency, but he was in a car accident of sorts, while taking a photo shoot."

"How can you get into a car accident while taking a photo shoot?" Aomine frowned, as Midorima shrugged.

"I heard there was something wrong with the engine of the car – but some say that someone might've plugged a system into it, making it move forward on its own. To be more specific, it wasn't a car accident – the car crashed into the stack of boxes that were about 20 meters up high into the air – and Kiyoshi Teppei, the one that was standing on top of it, fell down." Aomine winced.

"Sounds painful. I don't want to fall from somewhere 20 meters up high." Midorima didn't say anything, as he continued to watch the news.

" _ **Next up, is today's weather. It is believed that Tokyo would be raining very heavily, while Osaka and Akita would drizzle very slightly…"**_

"I have an unlucky day, and it's going to rain. Great."

That very moment, Murasakibara stepped into the living room, dressed in his pajamas, brushing his teeth. "Gwood Muning (Good Morning)." He mumbled, the toothbrush moving up and down.

"It's not a very good morning, considering that it's going to rain heavily the whole day, but yeah." Aomine greeted, as Murasakibara sat down on the edge of the couch.

"Mine-chin, you nweed to gou to the markwet towday. (Mine-chin, you need to go to the market today.)"

"I went two fucking days ago."

"Fwood roons ot pwetty fast wit hive peple. (Food runs out pretty fast with five people.)" With that, Murasakibara rinsed his mouth and started talking like a normal person. "And besides, it's Mine-chin that eats five bowls everyday."

"And you eat four. I don't see the difference, not meaning to sound offensive." Midorima pointed out – cooking in the house was none of his business, as he had no part in that duty – he just needed to clean the rooms, while Akashi cleaned the kitchen and the toilets.

"What are you guys all talking about?" Kise ran into the living room with a delighted expression as always, throwing himself on Murasakibara. (The two had gotten amazingly close after becoming roommates.) "Something fun going on?"

"The opposite." Aomine replied with a scowl. "And Murasakibara looks like he's about to faint, man. Get off him."

Kise jumped backward, as Murasakibara sighed. "I'm sorry, Murasakibaracchi! Though, seriously what's going on?"

"We're out of stock. Of food, out of all things. And it's raining today. It's freaking going to _rain_. I hate getting wet."

"There's something very high tech, called an umbrella." Midorima said, fixing his glasses, as Aomine clucked his tongue and shook his head.

"You don't know anything, young man. You know how much bags of groceries I am required to buy everytime? There's at least fifteen bags of them – and that's worse already – do you think one umbrella can cover for one human fifteen groceries? The answer is no, young man."

"I'm older than you."

"Old man."

"… Never mind."

Kise glanced back and forth, processing the situation as he listened to the males talk amongst one another. He remained silent for a while, and then finally spoke up. "Then why don't we all just go to the grocery store for today? In return, we'll be able to carry a lot more stuff back home… if all of us go, and each of us hold five bags, then we can bring back thirty bags. It's sounds more beneficial, situation-wise."

The three men blinked at the blonde.

"Sounds like one boring and peaceful idea." Aomine said in his grouchy tone. "But it's not a bad one. We can do that, only if we have six umbrellas, in which we don't."

"How many do we have right now?"

"The last time I checked there were four – and there should still be four, unless they are adverted their identity into living things with legs." The indigo haired male responded, as Kise chuckled. "I have an umbrella of my own, so I think I can use that. I think I saw Akashicchi has his own, so he can bring that with him."

"That dude has everything. I am pretty sure he brings around sanitary pads for girls, too-" A scissor flew through the air-conditioned living room, slipping a centimeter past Aomine's neck. The tanned male froze, not being able to continue what he was about to say. Akashi had a scornful scowl plastered on his face, letting off a disparaging vibe.

"I do not bring around sanitary pads, Daiki." He grumbled, as he ran two fingers through his red hair. He had visible circles beneath his eyes, and seemed to be in the worst of conditions. Midorima wanted to point out that Sagittarius was on par with Virgo for being the unluckiest zodiac for the day, (and his lucky item was a pillow with bunnies) but he wisely came to a decision that it wasn't the right moment for that.

"Akashi, I thought you would wake up much later. Lack of sleep would affect your career of modeling." The green head went on, as Akashi let out a heavy sigh as he threw himself on the remaining portion of space on the couch. Usually the first thing he would do, will be drinking some green tea for starters – but he wasn't in the mood to do that.

"I know, Shintaro. I just forgot to turn off the alarm yesterday." Hearing Akashi's groggy response, Kise could easily hypothesize that Akashi's body was in the worst of its qualities possible. He wasn't sick, but he was close, they could tell. Akashi never _forgot_ to do anything, after all. He was a perfectionist, and didn't allow his schedule to get out of hand.

Murasakibara glanced at the red head. "I don't think we should take Aka-chin to the grocery store." The rest silently agreed. Akashi opened his eyes tiredly, a frown of confusion painting itself on his expression. "We said that we'll be going to buy the groceries all together today, once Akashicchi and Kurokocchi wakes up… since in the news, they said it was going to rain – or so Aominecchi said."

Akashi yawned a little. "I can do that much. Just because I didn't sleep enough, doesn't mean I can't move around. I have energy to walk to the grocery store… but speaking of which, is Tetsuya awake yet?"

"Yeah. He woke me up at six, but he himself doesn't wake up." Aomine grumbled, as the said person stepped out of his room.

"I'm sorry." Kuroko whispered, as Aomine freaked out. "I didn't mean to leave it on like that, but I keep forgetting the fact to turn it off. I'll try to remember today." He said, as Kise burst out laughing at the teal haired boy's bed head.

"Ku-Kurokocchi… you look like a pompom…" The blonde tried to suppress his laughter; Murasakibara imaged the hair to be cotton candy. Midorima just shook his head, as Akashi cleared his throat.

"Tetsuya, you should try looking at yourself in the mirror." Kuroko just shrugged, patting the hair out.

"What's going on?" Kuroko sat down, as Kise repeated the explanation. The boy nodded, reluctantly agreeing to go. "It would be bad if we run out of stock for food. Murasakibara-kun is really good at cooking, after all." Murasakibara's face flushed at the compliment, as he turned away, embarrassed.

"That's right. You're unnaturally good at cooking, for a male. If you get what I mean, of course. You'll be a nice wife. Husband. I don't know." Aomine clucked his tongue, as Murasakibara shrugged. "How are you so good at it, anyways? Someone taught you?"

The purple head leaned back on the glass window. "I learned most of them myself. The rest were all from cookbooks and recipes that lied around the house." Kise nodded, though he was quite confused why would there ever be the need for a little kid to learn recipes himself. Nevertheless, he was impressed, and the rest didn't really matter much.

"When will we be going?"

"It's still eight, Kise."

"I know, I know. Just excited. Can we at least turn on the TV?" Midorima held the remote up and turned it on, the morning news still going.

" _ **The Akashi Residence of Law has been taking part in this year's governmental decisions for major projects involving citizen rights. In their current situation…"**_

"The Akashi Residence of Law? Isn't that Akashicchi's family?" Kise pointed out, as Akashi just stared at the ongoing screen, wordless.

"It is. They often take part in such projects involving law. The Akashi Residence is currently the most influential family and company in said areas, after all. Albeit their methods are pretty straightforward and brutal, I suppose that's how it should be." Midorima said bluntly, not caring in the slightest that Akashi was listening.

Kuroko glanced in concern at the red head, seeing him just staring at the TV without a single change apparent on his face nor his posture. "Akashi-kun, are you alright?" Akashi blinked, as he turned his attention towards Kuroko, moving away from the screen.

"Well… yes, I'm technically fine. I just… dozed off, I suppose." The red head stretched his arms a little, as Midorima switched the channel. A tall, purple head actor with short hair and pale skin was on the screen, with a pretty blonde female. They seemed to be acting out a scene where the female was confessing to the male.

"Ah, that's my sister!" Kise immediately leaned in to get a closer look. "The other actor is… Murasakibara Asuhi or Atsuri. I can't tell."

"It's Asuhi nii-san." Murasakibara replied, throwing a biscuit into his mouth. "He has a mole under his left eye. Atsuri nii-san has one on his right."

"How to tell apart twins, part one. Look for the position of their moles." Aomine grumbled, as Kuroko smiled.

"All of your siblings seem to be famous, Kise-kun, Murasakibara-kun. Ah, I'm pretty sure that Midorima-kun's little sister is an idol star… Shizuka-chan, was it?" The green head nodded, fixing the position of his glasses.

"The grocery store should've opened up, now. Let's get going before the rain gets too heavy." Akashi stood up, as the clock pointed the number nine. The others did the same, changing into their casual clothes. Most of them just wore T-shirts and jeans, while putting on respective jackets, depending on whether they needed it or not. Murasakibara, being from Akita, was used to the cold weather so he just put on a white shirt with a logo of a football team on it.

It was slightly drizzling already, so they all held up their umbrellas. Ironically enough, their umbrellas matched the color of their hair, so it was almost like seeing a rainbow walking in a line. People noticed who they were – and some fan girls tried to get their signatures on their notebooks for school and everything. They politely refused, saying that either they were busy, or that they had to go somewhere, and were running out of time. They pushed through the crowd with much effort, until they reached the grocery store.

"Let's split up into three groups, then. How about going with our roommates?" Kise suggested, standing next to Murasakibara. They agreed, each holding a list of materials they were responsible of finding.

"Flour, flour…" Midorima glanced around, as Akashi held the basket. "Akashi, are the eggs there?"

"No, but I did find the cooking oil." The red head responded, internally thinking that many people would mistake them as a young homosexual couple that came to buy the groceries together.

Aomine and Kuroko were doing fairly well on the sidelines, as Aomine had the places where each of everything was memorized in his head. He finished finding the materials on his list without much hassle, and waited for the others to finish.

"So, we're done, aren't we?" Murasakibara glanced at the baskets that were full. They paid for it, and each held three bags of the groceries. It was raining heavier and heavier as seconds passed, and it was getting hard to see as well.

"It's sure raining a lot."

"Yeah, for once the weather caster wasn't wrong."

"Rude, Aominecchi."

"What's for dinner today, Murasakibara-kun?"

"We didn't even have lunch yet, but alright."

"Tonkatsu… and miso soup, probably."

"Can you make pizza as well?"

"Order that, Kise."

"Wah…"

When they reached their apartment, the plastic bags were a soggy wet mess. So was some of their body parts, like their arms and everything – but other than that, they were fine. Kuroko put the bags down and went to the kitchen, coming out with another black bag that held the trash.

"I'll go throw this out before the rain becomes intolerable." With that he exited the living room, as the rest changed back into their normal clothing. Murasakibara brewed them another cup of coffee, as Kise busily talked on his phone with his band mates.

"Like I said, senpai… I swear I'll go back soon!"

" _You sure, Kise? You do know that we need to finish our next album by September, right?"_

"I'm just busy with the modeling. C'mon, Kasamatsu-senpai, you know that we'll make it."

" _I'm just having a hunch that this time we might now. Seriously, I'll murder you if you don't come tomorrow as well. Moriyama finished writing all the songs, so you have to be in the practice room by at least ten."_

"I got it, I got it." Kise grumbled, as the bandleader, Kasamatsu Yukio, hung up. They were formerly on the same basketball team in high school, so they kept their upperclassmen-lowerclassmen relationship until that very day.

"Who was that?" Aomine asked. "He sounded like he was ready rip you into pieces any soon."

"My bandleader. I was supposed to go to the entertainment today, but yeah." Kise replied, as Aomine rolled his eyes, saying something about how Kise was being a slacker under his breath. The blonde huffed, as he opened his mouth to speak as well.

"Who were you talking to then, Aominecchi?"

"Me? Just…" The indigo haired male hesitated. "Someone." Seeing how his expression didn't look very comfortable with the topic, Kise came to a decision that it wasn't something he was capable of nagging about. So as a result, he just shut his mouth up, bringing peaceful silence to the living room.

The door opened, as Kuroko came in – but he wasn't alone.

"Woof!"

The bark gathered sudden attention to the teal haired male. They saw a Kuroko holding a wet dog in his arms, his eyes wide as he panted.

"Kuroko, what did you bring in this time?" Midorima groaned, massaging his temples.

"There was a dog in a box outside, near the trash bins, so I brought him in. I couldn't let him get soaked at this weather. He'll die, Midorima-kun." The green head sighed, though he guessed it was better than a herd of cats.

"It looks like someone I know." Aomine commented, rubbing his chin.

"It looks like Kuro-chin." Murasakibara grinned, as the dog shook his head to dry his saturated fur.

Akashi twitched a little, as he didn't enjoy the presence of dogs. Suddenly, it jumped down from Kuroko's arms and rubbed its wet body against Akashi, as if he wanted to appear cute to the male. Akashi blinked, and shrugged. Maybe having a dog in the house wasn't _that_ bad.

"Is it okay to suddenly bring in a dog, though?" Kise looked up at Kuroko worriedly, as he petted the dog. Aomine went to the bathroom to get a towel.

"It should be okay. Riko-san likes dogs." Kuroko said, expressionless. "But what should we name it?"

"Nigou." Aomine grumbled. "It looks like Tetsu, so we name it after him." He rubbed the towel all over the dog, as the dog snuggled closer into the indigo haired male. (Aomine really liked dogs, so that was a good thing.)

"Then Nigou that is." Akashi smiled, as he stretched his arms a little. "I'll go into take a nap. Call me when dinner's ready, Atsushi."

"Okay…"

"I NEED MY TONKATSU!"

"Shut up, Kise."

"Why is Midorimacchi so mean?!"

"Because I'm Midorima Shintaro, Kise."

"Good point, but still!"

"Can't all of you just shut the fuck up?"

"Rude, I'm technically the oldest here!"

"Yeah, yeah."

Like that, was another normal day for the six models.

 **End of chapter.**

 **Hey guys, sorry this chapter is short and late. I wanted to make it longer, but summer break ended, and everything just became really busy. Being in 8** **th** **grade sucks, Algebra sucks, Physics and Chemistry… is okay, so far. Typical story of a 13 year old.**

 **So yes, if you could see it in this chapter, each of the characters have a backstory. The major ones would probably be Akashi and Aomine, and maybe slightly Murasakibara. For Kise, Midorima, and Kuroko, their stories progress a little further into the future chapters of this fanfic, so please look forward to that!**

 **For now, the poll's winner is Akashi, with five votes on the poll on my profile, and who-knows-how-many votes in the reviews. I will have the characters that weren't chosen, (ex: Aomine, Kise, Murasakibara, etc…) paired with other side characters later on, possibly through a vote as well.**

 **And guest reviewer, Anon – 'the crystal like things' in chapter one are just pieces of metal accessories Kise wears, not rhinestones.**

 **Next chapter, I'll introduce some other characters! Maybe a return of a certain forgotten 'King'?**

 **~Meiko~**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Okay, stay in that position… done! Good job, again – we are finished for the day. Thank you for all your hard work – you guys are really amazing." The photographer was saying, as Momoi nodded in response. She had taken Riko's job after finishing her training of becoming the manger of the six models.

"So, when would the advertisement be released again?" Momoi took out her notebook and pen, as the director tapped his bottom lip.

"Around the end of this week. Don't worry, it would come out as soon as we are done photo shopping the pictures and scenes. Though really, your models are fascinating. I have never expected such super rookies to appear – though your name was already quite widely spread through the news. I will be looking forward to working with you all some time again. Especially when the manager looks very beautiful, too." The director gave a suspicious smile, as he tapped Momoi's shoulder. The manager chuckled politely in response, as she took a step back.

"Your words flatter me, sir. Well, we have our following schedule coming up in a few thirty or so minutes, so we will be going." The director looked disappointed, but he let her go, as the photographer waved. Momoi waved back, as she walked towards the six models that had finished changing.

Murasakibara gave the pinkette a dreary, devastated expression in sorrow. "Sacchin, is it true that we have a following schedule in a few minutes? I am getting hungry…"

"You're always hungry, Murasakibara. Do not act as if you never had been so in the past." Midorima pointed out, polishing a mirror that he held in his hand. It was his lucky item for the day. Murasakibara pouted as he heard the harsh remark made by the green headed male, but waited for Momoi to reply anyways.

"No, we don't Mukkun. I just wanted to avoid that perverted director. Did you see how his eyes just kind of rolled all over the place when he saw me in that dress? I was crept out." The female shivered in fear, as Kuroko placed his hand softly on her shoulder.

"It's all right, Momoi-san. I am pretty sure this will be the last time we will arrange a photo shoot with them. Riko-san doesn't really like the director here, either. She said she had accepted the contract for this one time, because she had claimed that she was sure that the advertisement would turn out well." Kuroko said in a warm, comforting tone that reassured Momoi.

"So, where are we going now? Home? I hope we are going home, because it's time to give Nigou his dinner." Aomine glanced at his leather watch that he was presented by a stalking fan the other week. She had been so blunt and wild with it, that he couldn't possibly reject her offer – even for the eyes of the public. He didn't really favor leather, but it didn't really matter.

"Why do you care about Nigou more than us, anyways? Aominecchi is just plain inconsiderate." Kise whined, as he loosened his tie that was on the verge of choking him to death. He had bags under his eyes that he had to cover up with foundation, as he had been working on recording his new album for the band, Copy Cat. Kasamatsu was nagging him every second possible about the deadline, and that resulted to no sleep, no nothing. Of course, he had completed the recordings, and the album was to be released on the same date as their new advertisement was being released. It was all a part of Riko's perfect plan of increasing their popularity and sales income.

Suddenly, Momoi's phone went off. "Hello, this is Momoi Satsuki- Oh, Riko-san? Yes, we're currently going back… Tokyo Main Hospital? Yes… yes, very well. See you soon." She put her phone down, and informed Koganei their new location. Koganei grinned and nodded.

"We're going to see him again, huh? Well, you guys never met him face-to-face, so that makes sense. It's been a while since I visited him as well. Riko set up a good opportunity…" The male trailed off, as he changed the course to the right, where the hospital was located further away.

Kise, quite curious about what was going on, questioned in an unnecessarily inquisitive manner. "Who is 'him'? Is it someone important?"

"Important… well, yes, he is important to us, indeed. He is technically your senpai, too. It was smart for Riko to arrange this meeting. I was never expecting to meet him any time soon because of our busy schedule and everything, but of course – Riko always manages to get what she wants. You guys will like Kiyoshi too. He is rather easy-going, though slightly dense that it gets our Boss annoyed…" Koganei shrugged, his voice getting smaller and smaller, as if it was digging into somewhere deeper into his throat. "It was the nice old days." Nostalgia seemed to have stroke him, seeing how Koganei's eyes were headed straight through the glass window in front of him. It was raining outside, which seemed to help this situation even more.

On the other hand, Kuroko, along with Kagami, had known Kiyoshi for about two months. It had not been very long since he had worked for Seirin at that time, and he was a new model that was basically known as no one in the media. He wasn't famous, and he had no presence. He had come in with the offer of Kagami, who was friends with Furihata Kouki that was working in Seirin as a photo editor.

At that time, Kiyoshi was a well-known model, a part of the Five Kings. Kiyoshi, albeit he met Kuroko for the first time then, was very generous and kind. He had behaved like Kuroko's brother, which was a mutual comfort to the boy who was new to the grounds.

Then happened the accident.

Kuroko slowly reminisced about the incident that day. Kuroko was just standing outside of the set, as Kiyoshi stood on a bunch of wooden boxes, posing. The concept of the photo shoot was supposed to be something wild and manly, so the set was all kind of brown and black and navy, rusty and dirty. There was a car that was placed at the side of this particular set, as it was to be used later on for the second photo shoot.

Instead, there was a malfunction of the engine, and the car started going haywire. It drove straight into the stack of boxes, and Kiyoshi fell – just like that. He had broke several bones then, and suffered a major concussion.

He had to receive physical and mental therapy after that, and was told that he wouldn't be able to model properly even if he recovered. Of course, he was still in the hospital, only because he was to go through several other treatments that were necessary for the body. Nevertheless, Kuroko decided that he would never forget that moment ever, in his whole life. It was way too memorable to actually erase from his fog of thoughts.

The car stopped in front of the hospital, as Koganei went on ahead to park the car elsewhere. Riko was waiting for them at the entrance of the hospital, folding her arms under the shade.

"Where's Koganei?" She asked, glancing around the vicinity.

"He went to park the car." Momoi replied silently, as Riko shrugged, and nodded. She led the way up the elevator, walking past several doctors and patients. Midorima looked quite uncomfortable as he strolled through the corridors of the building. Several nurses and doctors were throwing curious looks at him.

"Is it just me, or are people giving us the weird expressions?" Kise mumbled quietly under his breath, as Aomine nodded in agreement. As if to answer their question, Akashi opened his mouth.

"This hospital is to be passed on to Shintaro. He is the son of the owner, Midorima Shizuo, after all. It is not very startling for him to be gathering attention." The red head also glanced around the impressive structure of the hospital. His father and Midorima's were old acquaintances – which meant that he would have to encounter Midorima Shizuo sooner or later. It probably wouldn't hurt so much if it were sooner.

Riko dragged the door of a certain room open. "Teppei?" She called out. "The newbies you wanted to meet are here."

As the door was fully dragged to the right, there sat a brown haired male with a kind smile. He looked enterprising and energetic, but it wasn't the kind of aura that vibrated around Kise. Rather, there seemed to be a mixture of an exciting but calm exterior reverberating around his whole body.

"Hey, long time no see, Kuroko! You look all nice and healthy – that's a relief." Kiyoshi chuckled, as Kuroko nodded.

"It's been a while, Kiyoshi-senpai. I apologize that I couldn't visit you more often. I was caught up with the busy schedule, so…" Kiyoshi shook his head at the reason, indicating that it was perfectly fine. Then he averted his gaze to the colorful five standing awkwardly behind the two models, wondering when would be the right time to interfere with their reunion.

"My name is Kiyoshi Teppei, model of-" He paused, and then quickly corrected himself. "Sorry, former model of Seirin – I retired after all. I heard a lot about you from Hyuga and Riko. It seems like you guys are a performing a major role to Seirin's sales advance as I left? I will have to treat you to a meal some other time…" He trailed off, as he scanned the five males.

"So, how about you properly introduce yourself? It is disrespectful to just stand there like a herd of idiots in front of a senpai, just saying." Riko placed her hands on her hips, throwing a stern expression at the five males that were just kind of standing there.

Akashi cleared his throat. "I apologize for my rude incoming – that was not the slightest of what I have intended to do. My name is Akashi Seijuro – it is nice to meet you, Kiyoshi-san." He said in his usual formal tone that came out automatically – so immediate that it almost seemed robotic.

Midorima, who was standing next to the red head, was chosen to go next without any other particular alternative option. "Midorima Shintaro – nice to meet you." He slipped his mirror into his pocket, as Kiyoshi tilted his head to the side.

"Midorima… ah, are you the son of Doctor Shizuo? He has been treating me with much care – but you do look like more of your mother, than your father. The resemblance is almost mystifyingly fascinating." The male commented, as Midorima just nodded in response, solemn.

"Uh… Aomine Daiki, sir. It's a pleasure to meet you like this." The indigo-haired male tried to be as formal with his etiquette and tone as possible, slowly reminding himself of how Akashi talked at normal times. Kiyoshi laughed lightly.

"You don't need to be so decorous with your introduction. I heard from Riko that you guys are all usually lively with the exception of some. You can speak to me as you would normally do to everyone else." Aomine nodded, though he still felt slightly uncomfortable around his so-called senpai.

Murasakibara quickly shoved his bar of chocolate into his bag, as it became his turn to introduce himself, receiving a nudge from Riko who was standing behind him. "Murasakibara Atsushi." He paused. "Uh, yeah." He ended, not knowing what else to say or add. Kiyoshi grinned and nodded.

"Murasakibara, huh? I am good friends with your brother. We used to go to the same college, and that's where I got to know him. He is really a nice guy, apart from the fact that he is difficult to locate at times."

The purple-headed male blinked. "Which of my brothers?"

Kiyoshi laughed aloud. "Right – you had three brothers. I forgot that Akiyo told me that. It's your third brother, Murasakibara Akiyo. I was in my first year of college, and he was in his last year, right before graduating. We became friends, and we each went our own way. Where is he working now? I couldn't contact him, in these few months or so."

"Nii-san is working as a freelancing photographer. I don't know where he is right now, either." Murasakibara replied, not seeming to be really interested. Kiyoshi nodded, as if he understood.

"Being the usual free soul he is. But yes, please continue – I am sorry for the interruption."

Kise was the last one to go. "My name is Kise Ryouta, and I am also the lead vocal of the band, Copy Cat. It's nice to meet you, Kiyoshi-san – I have heard quite a lot from you from Rikocchi."

Kiyoshi smiled. "That's reassuring. I do like your songs – they are very encouraging. Keep up your excellent work." Kise nodded, a proud grin spread over his face – though he wasn't the one that wrote the songs. It still made him happy that someone actually approved the skill of their band.

"Um, my name is Momoi Satsuki. Nice to meet you!" The pinkette stuttered a little, nervous – as Kiyoshi laughed and greeted back. His comforting smile put her to ease – she was expecting him to be much more strict and… she didn't really know how to describe her image to words. She had imaged him to be more formal, rather than just warming up to everyone he had encountered.

"But anyways, how is the modeling going? Is Riko stressing you out too much with the work?" Riko's face turned beetroot red, as she slapped Kiyoshi's back in a meaningful manner. Kiyoshi just chuckled, as he defended himself from the flailing hand.

They conversed like that quite a while, and the group actually got to know one another better, and got closer. Even Midorima kind of warmed up to the elder male, despite his stoic personality. When they have exited the hospital, leaving Riko alone with Kiyoshi again to their lone time, they were still talking about how Kiyoshi seemed to be way better than they all had been thinking.

"The accident was truly unfortunate. He could've improved into an excellent model, too." Akashi clucked his tongue in pity. The others nodded in agreement as they all headed back home. Kuroko stopped, as they all turned back to look at him.

"It might not be an accident." The male whispered under his breath, as Midorima frowned.

"How could've it not been an mere accident? Unless someone had any firm purpose – and if there was an actual reward to that certain achievement – no one would've committed such a crime." The green head was being logical as always, and Kuroko couldn't exactly give a legitimate response.

"I just have a hunch that someone might've done it on purpose, that's all. Kiyoshi-senpai is such a nice person. They say accidents happen, but for it to happen to Kiyoshi-senpai… none of us could've predicted the fact, that's all."

"There is a reason why accidents are called accidents, Kuro-chin. No one is supposed expect an accident." Murasakibara said bitterly, almost as if he had experienced it before. Akashi closed his eyes, falling into deep thought.

"I would have to agree with Atsushi, on that matter. An accident was to be defined an accident for a reasonable cause, Tetsuya. It is not fate, it is not destiny – it just happened to occur at that moment, and that is for nobody to blame, not even oneself. If Kiyoshi-san had been involved in such an incident, it is surely unfortunate, but that is what happened." The red head said solemnly, as Kuroko heaved a sigh.

"I suppose, Akashi-kun. If you say so." Aomine lightly patted the boy on the back – hoping it would cheer him up in the very least. Suddenly, his own phone rang – and Aomine automatically hunched his back. He dropped his hand from Kuroko's back, and fell behind the crowd a little.

"Mom?"

" _Daiki, I told you to call me every Fridays or so."_

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I was busy, okay? I have work to do here. How's the store doing?"

" _It's doing fine, you idiotic sonny."_

"Really? That's a good thing, I suppose."

" _Of course it's a good thing – does this seem like bad thing to you?"_

"No, that's not what I meant…"

Silence wrapped the two occupants, as Aomine waited for his mother to speak.

" _Daiki?"_

His mother called his name in her sober voice, as Aomine looked down and responded.

"What?"

Another few seconds went pass, until a heavy sigh was heard through the speaker of his phone.

" _No, nothing. Good night, Daiki."_

"Yeah."

The line was cut off, as Aomine just looked up at the sky that was now turning light purple.

"Mine-chin, what are you doing? We're here." Murasakibara called out to him, as Aomine nodded.

"Yeah, I know. I was kind of lost there. What's for dinner again?"

"Fried chicken and rice."

"Okay, got it. Are the bathrooms free?" Murasakibara went to check, and then came back, shaking his head.

"Aka-chin and Ki-chin are using them first. You can go next, though." Aomine thanked the purple headed male and trotted off to the living room, where Midorima and Kuroko were sitting down and watching some kind of cooking channel. Aomine grabbed the remote and switched it to the news – only because there was nothing fun to watch at that very time.

Something about a celebrity on drugs being arrested was being reported on the screen, as they all just stared at it, wordless. Aomine, though he was the one that switched the channel, was on the verge of falling asleep on the couch. That was when Akashi was done with his shower – though he came out shirtless.

Midorima groaned. "Akashi, put something on. This is not a public bathroom."

"I am very much aware of that, thank you very much for reminding me, Shintaro. I just forgot to bring my spare shirt inside with me. I am pretty sure I have, but that doesn't really matter, I suppose." He pulled his light blue T-shirt on, as Aomine snickered and entered the steaming shower room.

"Akashi, you have pretty appealing abs."

"Shut up before I cut you with my scissors, Daiki."

With that, Aomine disappeared, leaving Kuroko, Akashi, and Midorima in the living room, with the noise of chicken sizzling in the background hitting their ears. It certainly smelled wonderful, which kind of made Kuroko's mouth water, (not to mention, Kise, who had smelled the chicken in the shower, was whining in distress) though he knew that it had not been so long since he have consumed his last meal.

"Dinner's ready~" Murasakibara said as loud as he could, as Aomine yelled a swear word in the shower, as Kise ran out, changing into his shirt at the same time. Kuroko, Akashi, and Midorima took their own seats, and started eating – as Aomine came rushing out, half of his body still wet, resulting his clothes to become soggy.

"Thank you for the meal."

 **MEANWHILE…**

"Come on, I know you can make it. You're the only one that I know of that would be able to train that stuck of Kagami. Alex Garcia gave him spectacular lessons, but you know that that isn't enough. I will pay you as much as you would call for, so just come already." Riko spoke on her phone, groaning.

" _I'm a freelancing photographer, Riko. I can't possibly just stay there to teach some uneducated brat that probably is hotheaded, will get easily pissed off – and seeing how you look at your photographers, he would be perfect in build, too. He wouldn't go along with me."_

"Oh yeah? Says the person that has a crush on Hayama Kotaro like a young middle school girl. Hayama isn't so much different from Kagami, I swear."

" _Kotaro is different, Riko. I am not a middle school girl. I am in love with Kotaro because of his personality, but I don't know this brat at all. What are you telling me to do? And I'm in Milano right now – I can't possibly get there tomorrow morning."_

"Well, I need you here tomorrow morning – or else I am spreading the fact that you are in love with Hayama Kotaro all over the media, and your life would be doomed. I am going to make your life hell, and that is final. I don't care where you are, you will be tomorrow, here at Seirin Model Agency. Besides, it's a nice time to have a family reunion. What kind of family doesn't meet each other at all for over ten years?"

" _Spreading the news is one thing, please don't get Atsushi involved in this matter, Riko."_ A heavy sigh reverberated on the other line, as Riko huffed.

"Your brother works for me now, Akiyo. I can do what I wish. Now just come over, and be the over-protective brother you are. I know you want to see Murasakibara-kun."

"… _You are evil, Riko. It is not good to pull on another person's weaknesses. But fine, I will try to find a way there. However, if I don't like that brat, I am just going to say hi to Atsushi and then come back to Milano, understood?"_

"Perfect."

 **End of Chapter.**

 **Hello, new chapter.**

 **As you guys can see, Murasakibara's brother will be actually taking a major role as an OC here – he is a very important character. The reason why he is also called over-protective would be explained in future chapters. He is taller than Murasakibara, being over 2 meters and ten centimeters – the tallest in the Murasakibara family.**

 **The Hayama love thing would be explained later as well.**

 **But anyways.**

 **Go vote for the poll if you want the result to change guys. Reviews are kind of indefinite, and a lot of you seem to wish for someone else than Akashi.**

 **So yeah… that's all I have to say. Thanks for the support guys, and please review!**

 **~Meiko~**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 ~ Murasakibara Akiyo**

"What in the world…"

"He looks so hot… is he a model?"

"Never seen him before…"

"Rather masculine, in a sense…"

"So tall…"

A purple haired man put on a rather disgruntled expression as he exited the airport. He had done absolutely nothing, and yet he was gathering such unnecessary attention from surrounding others. Of course, he was used to admiring or suspicious glances of people – but that didn't mean he felt enjoyment in the situation itself.

He grabbed a taxi and crouched to his knees and lowered his back to get in.

"To Seirin Model Agency- Uh… never mind, to Tokyo Terminal Station, please." He quickly changed his wording, noticing the fact that Seirin Model Agency wasn't exactly well known among drivers. The driver nodded, and then stole a curious glimpse at the man. He slowly started talking, and the latter got ready for the usual petty talk some taxi drivers would bring up.

"You're very tall, aren't you sir?" The man chuckled. "Lads nowadays sure grow fast."

The other man – now to be introduced as Murasakibara Akiyo, just shrugged. "Our family has just been exceptionally tall. It's in the blood." The driver nodded, and then turned on the radio.

" _ **A few days ago near the Tokyo Shopping Mall, the Generation of Miracles and a few other models from Cherry Entertainment had made their entrance ceremony, thanking their fans for their continuous support, and has promised…"**_

The driver clucked his tongue. "Those Generation of Miracle boys are becoming the center of chit-chat nowadays. Even my daughter talks about them the first thing I get home, showing me their magazines…"

Akiyo just nodded in response, and awkward silence engulfed the vehicle, as it stopped at a red light. Suddenly his phone went off, and Akiyo sighed, not even bothering to check the caller ID.

"Ri-"

" _What is taking you so long? It's past morning, Akiyo!"_

The male pinched the bridge of his nose, keeping a safe distance with his vibrating speaker. "I was at Milano until just yesterday, Riko. You won't even be able to imagine all the hassle I had to go through, just to match myself up with your petty appointment. I had a major request from an important client, and you had to-"

" _I am your client right now. I hired you to teach Kagami."_

"Riko, you know it doesn't work that way. I thought we already went over this topic yesterday. I will teach him if-"

" _I know, I know. Kagami won't let you down, I swear. He can be kind of hot-headed weirdo, but-"_

"Yes, please turn right from here…" Akiyo ignored her as he told the driver the directions. The driver quickly turned as he was told, as Riko shouted at him on the other line.

" _AKIYO! Are you listening to me?! Look, we really need your help to improve the skills of Kagami, or else Seirin's overall power would be like a desolate background of a dystopian universe-"_

"Stop here, please. Thank you." Akiyo got off the taxi, in front the station. Riko was shouting at him, but he cared less. He put on his sunglasses with one hand, placing his phone between his cheek and shoulder, as he positioned his bag in a comfortable pose. People were staring at him – presumably due to his gigantic size that seemed to attract attention everywhere he went.

He walked through the hustling crowd of people, not bothering to answer Riko's continuous nags. She was talking about something how she finally knew where Murasakibara's ignorant personality came from, whether every single member of the Murasakibara family line was like him, how Kagami was capable of overpowering his ability as a photographer, so on and so forth.

All until he was in front of the agency, as he hung up on her. He opened the door, and the first thing he saw was his cursing best friend, looking ready to murder a professional athlete. Akiyo thought about how we would manage to survive the situation.

"… Riko?" He squeaked, slightly terrified, his shoulders hunched in fear. The brunette snapped her head to his direction, and seethed.

" _Akiyo."_ She growled – Akiyo swore there were flames flashing in her eyes. "I TOLD YOU THAT-"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I was just… a little distracted, okay?" He ran his hair through his short purple hair, straightening the hem of his shirt. "I was going to respond properly to all of your comments, I swear. Eh… I don't have that much of high hopes for that Kagami guy, but you always had a thing for pointing out people with talent on 'this' side, so… what else…"

Riko punched him in the face, as Akiyo groaned. "Okay, fine, I will take you seriously. What is your request for me now, Aida Riko-san?" Riko glanced at her watch and put on a discontented expression.

"What's taking them so late… for goodness sake, I told them to fucking-"

"Riko, language."

"… _Fudging_ come early." Riko gritted her teeth as she corrected herself due to Akiyo's stern remark. The doorbell rang, as the entrance to the department creaked open.

"Riko, we're-"

" _AKASHI, I TOLD YOU TO FREAKING COME EARLY TODAY-"_

"You're the one that set up the schedule like this, and we aren't late, as a matter of fact." Akashi twitched, as Akiyo glanced at the clock. It was exactly 12.

"They aren't late, Riko. Some mercy seems to necessary." He patted her shoulder, as Riko growled. Akiyo stared at the Generation of Miracles and Kagami and Kuroko. He scanned each of them one by one.

He pointed at Kise. "You, don't hunch your shoulders. It ruins your form." He went on the Aomine. "Don't scowl. Haven't you ever heard that your overall appearance would age faster if your scowl all the time?" He glanced at Midorima. "I don't know what you're holding- is that a squirrel doll? Oh well, it's distracting, so put it on the table or something. It would be annoying if a fan sees you with that." He stared at Akashi. "… You pretty much seem flawless, but try to be more… exuberant. Filled with enthusiasm – unless your photo will look boring."

Akiyo then sighed at his brother. He stepped forward, and then compared their heights. "You're still shorter than me. You lose to me again, Atsushi." He smirked, as Murasakibara slapped his hand out of the way, irritated.

"You're just freakishly big, Aki-chin." Akiyo smiled, and then spotted Kuroko and Kagami just stiffly standing there. He leaned down to Kuroko's height looking impressed and fazed at the same time.

"Riko… this is some interesting guy you have here."

Riko proudly thumped her chest, as she huffed. "I pick out some good models, don't I?"

"Though I bet it was coincidence, because I am assuming he signed the contract with you way ahead of those guys over there." Riko flinched, guilty – but folded her arms in exasperation.

"It doesn't matter, does it? My eyes are always correct-"

"I am pretty sure it wasn't you that recruited these models yourself, but alright." Akiyo shrugged, as Hyuga that came downstairs laughed aloud.

"You can't lie to Akiyo, Riko. He looks through people so easily." Izuki smiled, and nodded at the tall male. "Long time no see, Akiyo. Glad that you're looking good. You weren't replying to my emails, so we were getting slightly worried."

"You should know that I don't respond to emails, Shun." Akiyo shrugged, as he continued in a manner that could be described as anything but congenial. "Riko wouldn't have picked out such… unbalanced models that are all over the place." Akiyo glanced at the five rookies, as Kise frowned and glared.

"Who are you to decide that?"

Akiyo itched to take out his cigarette, but sighed and pulled his urged down. "Riko doesn't exactly look at the power of an individual when it comes to modeling. Haven't you guys read Seirin's motto? It's: Not One, But All. Not Alone, But Together. She chooses the models calculating the overall image and balance of the group." He paused. "But look at you guys – your potential and ability is so illuminating, that it is spilling all over the place. To easily put what I am about to say, it is… a gigantic illumination of positive energy."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Aomine frowned.

Midorima cleared his throat. "There is actually an experimental report that they grouped academically talented students and the average, all-over-the-place random students into one group, and instructed them to create a material that was fit for their topic. The result was that the randomly placed students had actually shown more teamwork and progressed more tremendously in their finalized work, rather than the academically talented ones. It was because the latter was focused on winning the other group, but the other group was more focused on winning each other. Basically, their talents and abilities had clashed, and created a negative result."

Akiyo nodded. "Just as that broccoli said."

"Who's the broccoli now?" Midorima growled, looking much disgruntled.

"Which is why that shadowy guy with no presence is perfect for all your… this whole lineup."

Kuroko twitched in the background. "It's Kuroko Tetsuya, Akiyo-san."

"Right, Tetsuya-kun, then." Akiyo muttered. "Your lack of presence, your minor role among this group of positivity – your negative presence is creating an unbelievable balance. Rather risky, I would say… but it works."

Riko grunted in annoyance. "Don't just boast them off with your words, idiotic purple headed monster. If you're a world famous photographer, show it with all your might. Kagami, watch carefully – it would be a good lesson for you." Kagami twitched.

Akiyo heaved a light sigh. "I got it, I got it. Where's your _cove studio_ (a round studio, in cylinder shape)?"

"Second floor, Studio 3." Koganei nodded, as he led the photographer up the stairs. Riko signaled all the models, including Kagami to follow them, as Akashi shrugged, following without much objection. The others dragged themselves upward as well, not having a definite alternate.

When they entered the studio, the first they could see was Akiyo scanning every corner of the rounded studio. Then the photographer turned towards the models and then gestured them to come in – preferably to the center of the studio, they assumed.

"Single or group?" Riko questioned, looking excited.

"Group, since single is annoying. It'll take too much time." Akiyo twisted the lenses of his camera in, as Riko pouted.

"Oh come on, it's been a while since I've had a proper look on your photos. I need more of it." She grumbled, as Akiyo smirked.

"My photos take up a part of every single magazine existing on this planet, Riko."

"Magazines aren't enough. I need the real ones, just like the ones that we all used to see in high school-"

"I understand, I understand…" Akiyo sighed, as he saw the models that were standing awkwardly in the middle of the cove studio. Then he looked at Kagami who was staring at him in the corner, with a serious expression – a fiery flash of flames shining in his eyes. _Not a bad sight…_ Akiyo thought, as he smiled.

"All of you kiddos, stand around Tetsuya-kun, and do a model-like pose. I will show you the before and after of this photo." Akiyo clicked on the shutter, and took the picture. He put the printed out photo to the side, as the color of his eyes changed.

"Now, Tetsuya-kun, can you put on your hoodie, and leave your hand in the position wear it looks like you are pulling your hem down? Cover your left eye, but leave your right eye visible to the camera. Stay expressionless like that… perfect. Atsushi, stand behind Tetsuya-kun just like that, and face your back towards the camera – no, actually, turn your head just a bit so that I can still see your face."

"Shintaro-kun, I want you to look like you're in the midst of taking your glasses off, and stand to the right side of Tetsuya-kun. Just stay like that. Seijuro-kun, stand to the left side of Kuroko-kun, and hold his hand up just about as tall as your chest. Kneel down a little bit, so you come to eye-level with him, and face him properly. Yes, just like that."

"Ryouta-kun, sit down on the ground, slightly more to Akashi-kun's side, and hold onto the hem of Tetsuya-kun's shirt, and look up at him – as if you are looking at something dearly. Aomine-kun, sit down next to Ryouta-kun, and hold Tetsuya-kun's right hand. Only hold his fingers, though – that's what adds the effect to it. Alright… lastly, Shinji, dim the lighting around the five models, and make the middle of the room brighter than the other parts. Got it… one, two three…"

A flash went off, and the photo was printed instantly. Riko squealed in excitement, as she dragged Kagami and Hyuga both to the printer to pick up the photograph – both the before and after versions.

Kagami's eyes widened. "The before one has great impact… It looks like he just took it lazily, but it's actually done in a very sensitive manner. There's no doubt in his skill. This is the real-"

"That's not the big deal, Bakagami. That's just the 'before' version." Riko pulled his hair, as Kagami cried in pain.

"I got it, so let go of my hair and just-"

Hyuga's eyes widened at least an inch, as he stared at the second photo for a while, and then sighed, sweeping his hair to the side. "Seeing Akiyo's photographs for real in a few years… I almost forgot this sensation." Hyuga smirked, as Izuki grinned, patting his shoulder.

"This is how a photo can be great to peak of Oh-the-photo."

"… That's not even a pun, Izuki."

The models gathered around as well, examining the photos.

"This is…"

"Unbelievable."

"I thought Kagamicchi and Takaocchi's photos were great, but this is awesome… don't you think, Aominecchi?"

"Che, I will admit his skills."

In the middle, there was Kuroko standing, his teal colored right eye and slightly visible tangled hair was beautifully but mysteriously illuminated by the dim lighting above them. Midorima and Akashi that were standing by his side were half-visible in the photo – to easily be said, half of their bodies were lighted, and the other half was in the dark. Midorima's eyes seemed to represent a sense of nostalgia, as he remained in the position of taking off his glasses. Akashi, who was kneeling down a little bit as he held up Kuroko's hand and stared up at him, was expressing a look of lust as he stared at an expressionless Kuroko.

Murasakibara, that was standing behind Kuroko and faced slightly towards him looked like a rather questionable being – almost like someone that was after Kuroko. Kise looked like a desperate soul that was trying to hold onto the existence of the boy, like a lover that was refusing to let him go. Aomine on the other hand, gave out more of a depressing aura, as if he was dejected by the boy. He was in comparison with Kise, to be easily said.

"What's the theme of this photo?" Riko asked Akiyo, as the latter put his camera back into his case.

Akiyo simply shrugged it off. "Plastic doll."

"I wanted a proper explanation, sir."

"Kuroko-kun is the basically a 'doll' in that photo – he is an existence that was once all held very dearly by all those six men, but was thrown away. His expressionless face represents his cold, frozen emotions caused by the men. However, the men that are all holding onto him represents the twist of guilt and soberness from the men that regret throwing him away like that. Simple story." Akiyo explained, getting ready to exit the studio. Kagami stared at the photo, as if he was being under control of something.

"Well?" Akiyo questioned. "What do you think, Taiga-kun?"

Kise frowned. "Now that I think of it, how do you know our names?"

The male twitched. "Isn't it kind of obvious, considering the fact that your hair colors correspond to your surnames? And I have actually searched up all of you on my way here. Besides, I already know you, Ryouta-kun – you are the lead vocal of the band, Copy Cat. Quite challenging not to know you."

Kagami awkwardly spoke up. "I hate to admit it, but your photos are incredible. Especially how you demonstrate the overall mood of each photo, and have a story for all of them."

Akiyo glanced at Riko, and then shrugged. He threw Kagami a photo. "That's the first photo that I ever took. Find out the meaning of it by the next time we meet… preferably tomorrow. I have somewhere to visit and actually occupy myself with right now…" He pulled his cap on, and then picked up his bag, as he exited the studio.

Kagami examined the photo and scowled. It was just a white photo – nothing else. He quickly stepped out to shout at Akiyo, requiring a logical response – but Akiyo was gone.

"Akiyo-san seems to be nothing alike with Murasakibara-kun." Kuroko's commentary had awaken Murasakibara from his trance. He stuck a chocolate bar into his mouth and just turned away.

"Aki-chin and I were never alike. None of my siblings are alike to each other at all, for that matter." He muttered, as Kise tilted his head to the side.

"That's interesting. Aren't siblings supposed to have at least something in common with one another? Like… I don't know, being good at sports or something?" He suggested, as Hyuga laughed aloud hysterically in the corner.

"Akiyo and sports? Man, that's such an adversary relationship to be mentioned." He wiped a fake tear from the rim of his eye, as Riko giggled, her arms folded as she crossed her legs.

"Indeed – Akiyo and sports can be anything but in relation with one another. Akiyo literally sucks at every single sport that exists in this world. He is scared of balls. Can you believe that? He's scared of _balls_!" **(An actual fear the author has. I am scared of balls, judge me.)**

"What, like soccer balls and basketballs?" Aomine grunted. "Well, ain't he a sucker."

"That's rude, Aomine-kun. You shouldn't say things like that." Kuroko chided, as Aomine rolled his eyes. They bid their farewell to Riko and Hyuga, and left the agency and headed to their apartment.

Meanwhile, Kagami was walking slowly behind them, still trying to figure out the meaning of the photo. _It's just a plain white photo. What meaning can there possibly be to it? Purity? But purity doesn't always represent white. The clouds? No, then showing the whole sky is way more effective. A sense of disappearance? Why would he care about such things?_ He sighed heavily, shoving his bangs over to the side of his forehead.

Kuroko stole a glimpse at the photo as well, and then frowned. "Isn't that just nothing, Kagami-kun? It's just white."

"Yeah, I know. That's what I have been thinking for the past few minutes. This is basically nothing-" Kagami paused abruptly. _Nothing?_ He glanced down on the photo again, staring at the white, framed photo. His eyes widened as he understood the meaning of this photo. Or rather, meaningless photo.

"Kagami-kun?" Kuroko questioned curiously, as Kagami grinned.

"I got it."

 **MEANWHILE…**

Akiyo stopped in front of the doors of the giant building. He entered casually, and went to the Information Desk.

"Sorry, but I am looking for someone."

"Name, sir?"

"Hanamiya Makoto."

"Have you arranged an appointment, sir?"

"No."

The woman frowned, as she opened her mouth to speak. "You need to arrange an appointment to speak to Hanamiya-san, sir. I apologize, but I wouldn't be able to call him downstairs unless-"

"Say it's Murasakibara Akiyo looking for him. Then he would be interested."

The woman frowned, but the name did seem to ring a bell to her. She dialed the number to the room of the Four Kings, and contacted the manager of the models. She nodded, and hung up. "He's coming down in a few minutes sir."

Akiyo nodded, and walked away, waiting as he sat down on a bench, next to a random man that was looking at his phone.

"Akiyo." A disgruntled voice was heard a little later. Hanamiya was standing there.

"Makoto." Akiyo stood up. He glanced around the hustling vicinity, and sighed. "Let's go talk somewhere else. This isn't exactly a suitable place to bring up this conversation."

"Make it short, idiot. I have a schedule to follow."

"Oh, really? You didn't seem like the type that would follow schedules."

"I'm not. It's just that annoying yapping manager. I don't want to hear her nagging at me like last time. It's irritating."

Akiyo hummed, as they stood to the side of a rather desolate hallway. Then he turned towards Hanamiya, and got ready to speak.

"If you're asking me photos of Hayama like last time, I'm going to kill you and leave." Hanamiya growled, and Akiyo rolled his eyes.

"I'm not asking for them this time. I came to talk to you about Teppei."

Hanamiya gave him a look of rage, but didn't say anything. "It wasn't you, was it?" Akiyo started. "The one that injured Teppei."

"Might be." Hanamiya just responded, as Akiyo heaved a sigh.

"I know it wasn't you. Couldn't have been you."

"Oh yeah?"

"It was him, wasn't it?"

"Which?"

"You know exactly who I'm talking about, Makoto."

Hanamiya just laughed and smirked, as he stepped away from the hallway, and Akiyo himself. "Might be, might not be."

" _Makoto_."

Hanamiya just stopped, and then shrugged.

"I don't know, Akiyo. Really, I don't know."

 **End of chapter.**

 **Sorry for the late update, guys. I was caught up with school work, and suffered an author's block and all. Thanks for being patient.**

 **Akashi so far, is placed an absolute first place for the final pairing of this story. I cannot change anything about the result, so if you do not find this satisfactory, go vote for the poll on my profile. The poll isn't down just yet.**

 **The one who injured Kiyoshi would remain unknown for a few chapters. Akiyo is my favorite OC, and he will contribute in finding who the real culprit is. The Seirin side still thinks it's Hanamiya, so we'll see how that will play out in this story too.**

 **Until my next update,**

 **Meiko**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 – A Lost Boy**

The Generation of Miracles sat around the table and couch in the morning, watching _Oha Asa_ along with Midorima. It had been a part of their daily routine for quite a while – though none of them were as passionate as the grassy haired male to collect the lucky items. It was one of their "break" days – it was in their contract, how on Sundays, unless there was a major schedule in plan, that they could basically have the day-off. In which, the Miracles had no problem about.

" _ **A 7-year old girl living in Gunma district has been found dead yesterday, Wednesday morning in her house due to child abuse. It turns out that her father has been physically and mentally tormenting her on a daily basis. The father's acquaintances are claiming that he was a normal businessman-"**_

"Such weird humans living on the same planet, breathing the same air as us." Aomine grumbled, chewing repeatedly on the dried squid leg. Then he turned to Kise, who had a bitter expression on his face, his lips quivering if you were close enough to observe him. "Don't you think so, Kise?"

Kise stared at the screen, his eyes fixated on the dead body of the girl that was blurred intentionally. Aomine frowned, as he tapped Kise's lap. The blonde jumped, as if awoken from a certain kind of trance. "Yeah?" He said, as Aomine just stared at him for a while.

"You alright?" Kise blinked, and then just grinned a little, rubbing the back of his head.

"Yeah, just… was thinking about something. I'm fine now." Murasakibara glanced sideways at this quickly made excuse, but didn't say anything, as he licked the crumbs of his chips off his thumb. Midorima patted out the small chips that had dropped onto their leather couch.

"Murasakibara, eat more sensibly – for the sixteenth time of day, I am specifically saying." Midorima grumbled, as Murasakibara slid the baggage of potato chips off to the side.

"Where is your brother staying now?" Kuroko asked curiously. "He seemed busy yesterday."

"Aki-chin is always busy. But he knows a lot of people, so he probably just slept somewhere. Or maybe he just went to Asuhi or Atsuri's estate. I can't imagine him going to Atsuko, so that must be it." Murasakibara responded lazily, not looking very interested. Akashi's left eyebrow rose, noticing how the giant habitually did not add the suffix at the end of the names of his other siblings. However, he didn't question Murasakibara's words. _It's not my business anyways,_ Akashi thought.

"Now that I think about it, doesn't Kise-chin have two sisters as well?" Murasakibara asked. "How are they?"

Kise just laughed. "Yeah, there is Kise Miiko, and then there is Kise Hoshino. Miiko-cchi is a little aggressive – she's the eldest, and likes to smoke. Hoshino-cchi is more of the gentle girl type – she is more… uh, civilized than Miiko-cchi."

"Kise Ryouta, Kise Miiko, and Kise Hoshino." Midorima repeated. "Good names." He mumbled, as Kise frowned.

"What?"

"… Nothing." Midorima grumbled, as he cracked his neck a little. "How's Momoi doing? Any contact made from her?" Momoi actually lived right upstairs at their apartment – all the staffs working at the agency lived in the same apartment, only to make things convenient. Akashi sipped on his freshly brewed coffee, as he shrugged.

"She should be doing fine. I am not very worried of her current condition – in truth, she has been adjusting to our routine better than anyone." He replied, clucking his tongue at the bittersweet taste. Murasakibara had a talent of brewing some very excellent coffee, Akashi had realized.

"Satsuki was always exceptionally good at blending into a new environment. If I were you, I wouldn't be worried." Aomine said lazily, casually reaching into the bag of potato chips Murasakibara was holding in his hands. The giant glared at the latter meaningfully, putting the bag to the side and slapping the hand away. Aomine spat at him, and turned away.

"Do you think Kagamicchi found the answer to Akiyo-san's question?" Kise munched on a cookie, leaning back on the cushion. Midorima placed a tissue under the place where the crumbs were falling, clearly annoyed.

Kuroko just shrugged. "I suppose. At least, that's what it seemed like yesterday." Kise casually hung on the teal haired boy's shoulders and rubbed his nose into his tangled hair.

"Kurokocchi, you smell like flowers." He chuckled, as Kuroko pushed him away.

"You're heavy, Kise-kun." The male muttered, as Aomine snorted.

"He obviously doesn't like you, Kise."

"Eh~? That's so mean, Aominecchi!"

Akashi shook his head, as he switched the channel to another program.

" _ **Do you remember, everyone? 2006, July 19**_ _ **th**_ _ **, Monday morning, Tokyo – and the tragedy of that very day. Many lost their lives in that incident, the explosion of the Takahashi Shopping Mall. 138 people injured, 490 people dead, and 64 people that the bodies couldn't be found due to the impact. Until this very day, it is believed to have happened because of the construction failure of the team, but many have raised suggestive arguments counteracting towards this explanation. Further investigation is being made, but now already forgotten-"**_

"Can we turn the channel?" Several voices echoed amongst the group, as Akashi frowned in surprise. He picked up the remote, and switched to a cooking channel. Kuroko remained expressionless, while on the other hand Kise and Aomine looked despondent. Murasakibara was munching on his bag of chips silently, deciding to stay out of the commentary section.

"That looks good." Kise gulped, drooling, as the sound of the meat sizzling on the pan filled the room, along with the fake but also realistic response of the amazed audience.

"It looks good, but nobody has lemon glass leaves laying around their kitchen." Aomine grumbled. "Nor maguro sashimi."

Suddenly, their doorbell started ringing noisily, along with a loud and high pitched voice of someone knocking. Kuroko rushed to the doorknob and clicked the lock open, as the person stumbled in – it was Momoi.

"Ah, Momoi-san-"

"Great news! We're casted for the jewelry advertisement of C&M! And Akiyo-san agreed to be our photographer for then! Isn't it great? Kaga-chan seems to have become his student, passing the test he gave him, and everything is turning out absolutely terrific – it's raining outside, by the way. Did you put away your laundry?" As soon as she finished talking, Akashi opened the balcony window as Midorima threw in the half-saturated clothing. "The schedule is being held tomorrow, and… um… what was I going to say… oh yeah, Akiyo-san stopped working as a freelancer yesterday. He signed a contract with us."

"Wouldn't that affect his usual career, though? He was working as a freelancing photographer for half of his life, wasn't he?" Midorima questioned, raising his eyebrows, as Momoi shrugged.

"He said it doesn't matter, because the contract said he doesn't exactly need to agency's permission to carry out his jobs – since Akiyo-san is a professional. I don't think his clients would mind, either. Anyways, get ready. Tomorrow's schedule is tight."

"Tell Riko that I need to quickly hand a report in to my professor, so I will go to C&M by myself, will you?" Akashi smiled, as Momoi nodded and walked away, closing the door behind her, as the vapory gush of wind entered for the last time.

"Well, that was sudden." Murasakibara mumbled under his breath, sticking a few more chips into his mouth.

" _SHALALALALA~!"_

The whole room erupted with a rhythmical beat, as Kise's phone went off. He laughed nervously, his face stiffening a little as he noticed the caller ID. "Hello?"

" _Ryouta, let's meet."_

"Why now?" Kise murmured quietly, as the others went back to the TV.

" _Why not now? Look, you're not the only one always busy here. It's been a while since we've met and discussed matters."_

Kise obviously was despondent towards this forceful reunion with the person on the other line, but just pursed his lips thin and headed towards his room that he shared with the purple headed giant, and started taking out his clothes to wear.

"What time?"

" _30 minutes from now, at the usual café. If you come earlier than me, then order a black coffee for me, would you?"_

"Yeah, yeah." The blonde pulled his gray sweater on top of his white button-down shirt, with navy green jeans and a cap with sunglasses, picking up the black umbrella he used. Not bothering to brush his teeth or cleanse his face, he drank a cup of water and put on his old sneakers lazily, in a motion that Murasakibara would usually take.

"Kise, where are you going?" Aomine frowned, as the others in the room also took a short glance at him.

"Meeting an acquaintance." He curtly replied, as he exited the house. It was raining pretty hard, and the café was at least ten minutes away just by walking. He opened his umbrella and sighed, putting on his sunglasses that fogged a little. Several thoughts ran through his mind as he dragged himself towards his destination. There was almost no one on the roads, probably because it was raining.

 _Why would he want to meet me now, out of all times?_ Kise's head ached with bewilderment and frustration. _We've been so quiet for the past few months, and why now?_ He entered the slightly cold café, almost glaring at the atmosphere of the hateful place. It wasn't like there was something wrong with the location – he just hated the fact that they always met here.

"One iced green tea latte, and one hot black coffee, please." The cashier nodded, quickly pressing the buttons.

"In here or take out?"

"Here, please."

"970 yen total, sir." Kise grumbled and took out his credit card, and received the beverages soon after. He picked their usual table in the dark corner, where they were hardly seen.

Awaiting upon the man for a few more minutes, the door opened and he entered. As soon as he spotted Kise he smirked, and Kise didn't smirk back. More like he just chose not to.

"Long time no see, pal." The male slumped down and sipped his coffee. Kise was already half-done with his drink. "Well, we aren't exactly that friendly with one another to call each other 'pal', are we?"

Kise heaved a sigh and gave a sharp look. "Would you get to the point, Haizaki?"

"Now, now, when were we ever so formal with one another? I came here to talk to you about your current new career. Or just an additional job, I should say. How is it now, working with your everlasting enemy, and your childhood hero at the same time? Horrendous? Probably. I would throw up and gag at them if I were you. Aren't they pathetic?" Haizaki Shogo was the name of the fully-grown man. He grunted at Kise, who just folded his arms and leaned back on the hard cushions.

"I never blamed _him_ for the incident nine years ago. It was hardly his fault. He was the same age as me, and I'm pretty sure he had no authority over his family whatsoever. That was just an unfortunate incident." Kise looked bitter as he said this.

Haizaki just snorted in exasperation. "Your mouth says one thing, and then your eyes say another. That's very amusing, you know?"

"Haizaki, let's stop this conversation. I'm serious." Kise sighed heavily again, placing his green tea latte on the table. The gray haired male just shrugged and remained silent after that.

"Are you ever going to call our team again?" He started, as Kise frowned. "We have a really good new member. Good for an amateur- well, he isn't exactly an amateur, looking at his excelling skills, but you know. He has some guts."

"It's just a back dancer team. How often would we ever call you? We're a band, too." Kise shook his head. "We only requested last time because it was a collaboration with FR-DY, and they are just an idol band. We're a proper band, unlike them." Haizaki hummed, and then rolled his eyes.

"You know that Seirin Agency you go to? There's a rumor that it's cursed, so you should be careful too." Haizaki grumbled, throwing the last bit of the bitter liquid into his mouth. "Though I don't think that's the case as well. Ridicule itself, don't ya' think?"

Kise didn't respond at all, as he just finished his green tea latte. He picked up his bag, and got ready to leave. Haizaki just gave him an unsatisfactory glance as he spat. "Acting all cool and chill by yourself. I know you don't like your current lineup right now." The blonde just threw the gray haired male a cold, seeping glare.

"Now don't look at me like that. It's not my fault, is it? I bet you'll get sick of all of them and-"

"Haizaki, I'm going." Kise stepped away, exiting the café. Haizaki didn't chase him either, and just remained in café with a blank expression, pressing down the urge to light a cigarette. _That shitty blonde idiot._

"Kise, you took a long time." Midorima grunted – the rest of them were already eating lunch, leaving a leftover for Kise's portion. Murasakibara shook his head and sat down, all of them circled around the table.

"Who was it, that acquaintance?" Aomine nagged, as Kise just shrugged.

"Middle school friend."

Kuroko swallowed his rice and opened his mouth. "Thinking about it, we all graduated from the same Middle school, didn't we?"

"Yet we never interacted with another. Amazing socializing people we were." Aomine chuckled, as he blinked slowly. "Wait, actually I think I knew some of you. I just never talked to any of you guys, that's all. I was in the basketball club, and was pretty famous, you know? And then there was Haizaki, and then there was…" He turned towards Kise. "… You."

Akashi hummed, as he looked up. "Shintaro and I were a part of Literature club and the Student Council. Though I was the captain of the Shogi club, as well."

"Yeah, you were famous. Even I knew you." Aomine grumbled, and then looked at the rest that were remaining silent. "I wonder why we never thought about talking to each other."

"We were young." Midorima responded sternly. "Conversing seemed worthless, and those surrounding you seemed like everything you could have. And besides, most of us were separated in different classes. Why would we ever want to discuss upon matters with strangers? Even now, we would've never thought about meeting one another again if it wasn't for this very opportunity."

Kuroko just nodded. "Especially when in high school where we all went different ways. Everyone from Seirin Agency is from Seirin high school as well, including Kagami-kun and me. We were in the basketball together."

Midorima clashed his chopsticks together a little, and then frowned. _Now that I think of it, I do remember that Takao guy… he's the guy that talked to me constantly because I had funny hair._ An animated nerve popped up on Midorima's forehead as he growled. _I don't have funny hair._

"Mido-chin?" Murasakibara waved his spoon that was stained with sauce in Midorima's face.

"Get that out, Murasakibara." He glared, as the purple head obeyed silently. Nigou whined in the corner rubbing on Akashi's leg, wanting the tonkatsu in the red head's chopsticks. Akashi shook his head and shooed Nigou away, as the dog pouted and trotted off to Kise, who was nicer.

It was a long day for all of them.

The next day, the models were called to C&M. Akashi came in later as he informed, as the Generation of Miracles stood around the set of where the advertisement was going to be filmed.

"Why would anyone ever advertise jewelry?" Murasakibara questioned out of lazy curiosity, as Akashi shook his head.

"C&M is generally a very successful company known for their make-up, clothing, and accessory products. We're probably advertising for mixture of that just to represent their company. They probably aimed for our arising popularity rate right now among teenagers, and would've wanted to increase their sales rate. It's hard for companies to try to hit an item at an irrelevant timing like this, where nothing happens." Knowing that what Akashi said was probably right, Murasakibara didn't say anything in response.

Momoi clucked her tongue. "It's not only that. They must've heard somewhere that Akiyo-san was recruited into our agency, and hired us. He really is popular among this 'side' of this huge community, after all. Everyone wants him to work for them at least once – or so Sachiko Yasui from Coco Magazine said during his interview session."

"Really? I knew he was a handful to be taken care of, but he really is a great celebrity, isn't he? Must've been big news for them, since he proclaimed that he would be working as a freelancer." Kise nodded, as he glanced at Akiyo who was observing the whole place. "He looks like a klutz at first, but he is serious at times like these, isn't he?"

"It's his job. Who wouldn't be serious?" Midorima twitched, as the female fixing his hair stared at his reflection in the mirror. This is why Midorima didn't like receiving attention – it was pretty much just distracting. He was handed his clothes soon after, and went to change with the others.

The director, Tamaya Ichiku patiently waited for the models to enter the set and finish their preparation. He was pretty impressed at how attractive and simply handsome the models were in fit and face.

"The concept, in case you haven't heard yet of this advertisement from Momoi-chan yet," The man began, "Is a cruel romance that happens between a prostitute of the slums and six men with a different story from the medieval ages. Which is why all of you are dressed in a respectably antique fashioned manner, with all the tuxedos and tall hats. Our female model should also be finished soon… Ah, there she comes."

A tall, black haired female flicked her long hair that cascaded down her back like a quilt of silk. She was wearing a simple white dress that was slightly toned gray and was torn in certain places – probably to add the dark effect to the whole theme. She smiled at the Generation of Miracles and Kuroko, and waved. "A pleasure to meet you. My name is Kirishima Aya." Kuroko flinched a little as she showed her straight white teeth while smiling. He didn't know whether it was just him, but her eyes looked cold and piercing as a blade of ice.

"Even though it is advertisement, you know that we're just going to take some photo shoots, right? It's a risky idea to film it, so this is what we came up with. We're not going to take much, though, so I hope this will be short and be done with." The staff members nodded, and so did the models.

The female model smiled and approached Kuroko, and placed her hand on his shoulder. She was taller than him (shamefully), and she looked down upon the boy with a creepy grin plastered upon her face. "Let's do well together." He stared up at the female as well, and just gave her a curt nod without saying anything in response. She smiled as walked ahead, happily conversing with the director as if they were old friends. Aomine glanced at the model, and then at Kuroko.

"Did she do something to you, Tetsu? You look pale."

Kuroko just frowned at the tall model, and then turned around, avoiding meeting her eyes. "No, not really. She was just attempting to be friendly."

Aomine scowled in a dissatisfied manner. "'Attempting'?"

Kuroko didn't reply to the nag, and gathered around the set along with the others that were standing in a divided group.

"The first photo would just be Sei, Atsushi, and Shin with Aya-san. You guys do have your accessories on with you currently, right?" The models nodded, except Aya, who didn't any.

"When did I ever give you the permission to call be Shin, anyways?" Midorima said, disgruntled – Akashi looked slightly disturbed, but didn't say anything else. Akiyo just shrugged.

"There does need to be some sort of bond formed between a photographer and his models. It seems like you guys won't approach me first, maybe with the exception Ryouta, so I will. And I am older – mind your words." Midorima glared at the photographer, but didn't seem to have further complaints. The set was a dusty brick wall, covered with blood stains which were fake, and paint that looked peeled off here and there.

"Aya-san, please lean on the wall in the lowest angle possible, so that it almost looks as if you are lying down. Put one arm over your eyes, it doesn't matter what side. Yes, please stay like that, if you will. Sei, face her and get closer to her ear, and place that necklace over neck. Atsushi, lie down on her lap, and look towards the camera. You already have your pocket watch tangled in your hand so you don't need to do anything. Lastly, Shin, you need to lean your head and place it on her shoulder. Close your eyes, and look upward towards the ceiling. Your effect in this photo is supposed be mysterious, so try to show that ring your are grasping in your hand stand out a little in your hand. Okay… one, two, three…"

The flash of camera was seen, and the photo was printed on the other side of the set.

"Next three up!" One of the staffs shouted, as Kuroko, Kise, and Aomine stood up.

They moved onto the next set, that had a cardboard box in the middle of surrounded brick walls that contained a similar mood as the last one.

"Aya-san, face your back towards the camera, and put that veil over your whole body, and sit on the cardboard box. Ryouta, put your hand on her shoulder, and stand sideways, tilting your top head in a 25 degree angle. Stand like that, and stare at the camera. Excellent. Tetsuya, you sit in front of the cardboard box with your legs crossed. Place that rose in front of your mouth, folding your arms. Aomine, you also sit down, leaning on the side of the cardboard box, with your right leg up, bent. The tiffany you have in your hand should slightly touch the hand of Aya-san next to you right now. Okay… one, two, three."

The last flash went off, and the photo shoot was finished.

"Successful as always, Akiyo-san!" Aya smiled, her fingers caressing her own cheeks. Akiyo nodded, though not looking at her. The model frowned, but went on. "I don't understand why you decided so suddenly to move to Seirin, and quit being a freelancer on your own. Not to be rude, but Seirin… you know, they say it's cursed, because of the unfortunate incident that happened to Teppei last year. In a way, he was an excelling model, but maybe someone thought he wasn't good enough to be called of such a great title along with the Four Kings? He lacked potential, don't you think? Honestly, I wanted-"

"Aya-san." Akiyo started. "I do not wish to participate in your unnecessary gossip about my friend. I find your reasoning rather pathetic for an educated person of this generation." Then he paused for a while and smiled apologetically – but in a mocking manner. "Oh, I am sorry – I forgot the fact that you weren't able to graduate your own university because of your behavioral mannerisms. I am sorry if that was showed in any offense to you. That was not my goal of this conversation. Well then, I have business to take care of with the director, so if you will excuse me." He stepped away from the female model, as she gritted her teeth, biting her lower lip as she clenched her fists tightly.

 _How dare he…!_ She glared angrily at the tall photographer who basically towered over her own fragile figure. _Seirin, was it? Such pesky creatures…_ She turned away, and promised revenge as she stomped past the staff members.

"Did you make her frustrated or something?" Murasakibara asked his brother. "I told you not to be so rude to models that try to flirt with you. It's not like they know you're bi – or rather just practically gay now." Akiyo punched the head of his little brother, and shook his head.

"She wasn't flirting with me, and I wasn't being rude to her. She was rude to me first, as a matter of fact. I never asked about her opinion about Teppei, and yet…" Akiyo just sighed and looked away. "Nothing. She was just being annoying, so I said what she deserved, perfectly composed."

"I never liked how she acted to us in the first place." Aomine grumbled. "Kise, do you know anything about her?"

"She's in the same company as me – she is in Cherry Entertainment, and is known as a troublemaker among the models. It seems like she popular among the majority of male models, but I don't like her a whole lot."

"Oh yeah?" Akiyo smirked. "I don't like her at _all_."

At the back of the stage, Aya was busily talking to someone in frustration.

"Yes, like I said, that Murasakibara Akiyo mocked me! You need to teach him a lesson, along with the other models of Seirin, like last time. It isn't that hard for you is it?"

" _Aya, honey, calm down. Seirin has become trickier to attack now, ever since my son went in there."_

"Your _son_? I am surprised how you can still call him a part of your family, after neglecting him all the years, Jirou."

"… _A son is a son. No matter how much of a troublemaker he is-"_

"If what you did for the past years is known to the public, you would be thrown into jail. Child abuse, an attempt of murder – it wouldn't end very nicely, all neat and clean, don't you think?" Aya smiled, as she heard the latter sigh on the other line.

" _I understand. I will see what I can do with them."_

"Would you mind taking care of your son as well, he is equally annoying as the rest. Today he places his filthy hand on my shoulder during the photo shoot, and it felt so dirty."

"… _I'll see what I can get to."_

Aya grinned.

"You're so perfect, honey."

End of Chapter.

 **Trust me, Kirishima Aya is going to be annoying as hell throughout this whole story. You might be able to tell whom they are talking about in that phone call, but the real things would be revealed in the future.**

 **Also, you all might want to keep track of all the small "news" reports shown in the story time to time. They are a part of the plot, and the backstories of the GoM.**

 **The interaction of Haizaki and Kise might seem confusing, but trust me, it would be explained.**

 **Then, until my next update!**

 **-Meiko-**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 – Slowly Revealed**

 _RIIIIINNNNNGGGGG!_

"OH GOD, TETSU!" Aomine shouted in frustration, throwing his pillow up to the teal haired boy. He groaned, and stepped out of his bed – at least it was seven, not six as usual. In the living room, Midorima and Akashi were casually doing another round of shogi – though Aomine was quite positive that Akashi would be the victor as always.

Looking up, Akashi nodded. "Good morning, Daiki."

"Mm." Aomine responded lazily. "Breakfast?" He pointed at the empty table.

"Murasakibara went to fetch something for his brother early in the morning. It seems like he is meeting another one of his siblings for work." Midorima moved another piece forward, as Akashi reacted accordingly until talking again.

"Hard to tell, honestly. Atsushi has many siblings – and is a part of a relatively large family. Even if you say sibling, you just choose between the three or four remaining options."

Filling his cup with a half-empty carton of milk, Aomine sat down, opening another box of cereal. "Schedule for today?" Akashi looked at his phone to check the message Momoi had sent him yesterday night.

"Nothing much. We do have to participate in this music video thing though – I think you're the main character, Daiki. It's for a new album for this idol group called Gorgon."

Midorima clucked his tongue. "That," he said, moving another piece. "Is not a good name for a boy band." _Though Shizuka seems to have a knack for one of their members._ A voice echoed behind his head, as the male shook it away.

"Like any name is good for a boy band." Aomine smirked, pouring milk into his fruit loops. "I mean, look at all those foreign teams – like Two Direction and Six Seconds of Summer."

"I bet they come up with those names from some hideous dream they had the previous night." Midorima grunted, and feeling puzzled at the same time about to formation of Akashi's defense. The red head smirked and finished the game – it was 0 to 14, Akashi with another winning point.

The front door opened slightly, as Murasakibara returned, still happening to be sharing a stiff conversation with someone else. The three inside could faintly make out the words between the giant and the other person – presumably male.

"Give that to Akiyo, alright? He's such a nuisance. Why is he in Japan right now anyways? Wasn't he in Milano or something until last week?"

"It's up to him where he stays, Asuhi…" Murasakibara's tired and lazy voice was heard, led with a sharp remark.

"Asuhi what?" The other chided.

"… Aniue." _(Aniue – for older brothers. Aneue – for older sisters.)_

"Have some guts, Atsushi. You're about to become popular in front of the whole media."

"Whatever. I'm going in."

"Hey, where are your manners to your eldest brother?"

"Good day, aniue." Murasakibara grumbled, slamming the door behind him. Resentment was written all over his face, as he threw a plastic bag with some weird box in it on the floor. He stomped onto the couch, throwing his jacket off onto the side, not even bothering to go back to his room and change. He just picked up the remote and turned the TV on in frustration – and looking despondent as another one of his brothers appeared on the screen. In the end, he just switched to the morning news.

Starting carefully, Aomine spoke up. "Hey," he started, hesitant. "Who was that?"

"Asuhi." Murasakibara threw his head backward on the cushions, hugging the pillow in front of him.

Midorima put away his cup of coffee into the sink, as he fixed the position of his glasses. "You don't seem to enjoy his presence much."

Snorting, Murasakibara simply twisted on the couch. "We just don't get along much."

"Typical brother's conflict?" Kise, who was now up and all dressed asked, joining naturally into the conversation. Murasakibara shook his head, and explained.

"He just used to be really annoying. I was forced to all his part of the housework, because he was too lazy and wouldn't do it, saying he had to attend his drama classes."

"I guess that is why you're good at cooking?" Aomine tilted his head to the side, and the latter just nodded in silence, a cookie in his mouth. His eyes were glued to the screen, staring at the different articles with a bored expression. Kise sat down right next to him, flopping down on the cushions.

"Explain more about your family, Murasakibaracchi!"

The purple-headed giant just leaned back on the comfy couch, his expression unchanging. "Nothing special. We were just a really detached family, ever since I turned… twelve, I think. Before that I remember we lived fine."

"Nine years ago…" Aomine laid his head down on the wooden table, nostalgic feelings shaking him up from the inside. _What a coincidence._ He thought bitterly, running his fingers through his short hair. Kise turned adequately silent, just simply lying there next to Murasakibara, staring at the television screen as well.

"Why is it so gloomy?"

Switching the lights on, Kuroko rubbed his eyes and yawned, attempting to straighten out his damp bedhead. A toothbrush was stuck lazily in his mouth in a comical manner, as the teal haired boy simply yawned and tilted his head to the side. Kise was the first one to burst out laughing at the hilarious sight, as Akashi shook his head.

Smirking, Aomine sat up and gave Kuroko a rather questioning glance. "How can that even happen every single morning? I swear, that's going to be seen in the next few hundred years, and they will discuss it as the top ten mysteries about the 21st century."

"I bet historians in the future have more work to do that researching about a boy's terrible bedhead, Aomine." Midorima simply responded, looking through his phone. He had been exchanging text messages with his sister for a while, who was preparing for a Japan touring concert. The elder boy had replied with the lucky items for the weeks of her concerts, and following precautions made my Oha Asa.

"That idol group though – Gorgon? How good are they?" Walking towards the couch as well, Aomine asked Kise. The blonde crinkled his nose, and then seemed to debate over personal opinions and reality for a while. Heaving an uncomfortable sigh, the lead vocal finally gave an answer.

"They're an excelling idol group – they don't sing about typical first love and everything, unlike normal bands. Our band has Moriyama-senpai doing the music, so we can't exactly help it though. But anyways, they usually make songs and receive inspiration from tragic incidents of the past. They were severely criticized by the public however, albeit their musical talent." Kise paused, rubbing the back of his neck.

Frowning, Kuroko who came back from brushing his teeth opened his mouth to speak. "I read that on a certain idol news article before. They were critiqued for singing about the defeat of Japan in World War II, right?"

"Expected of Kurokocchi – you know about it too, don't you? Well, I'd personally comment that that song – it was called "Melancholy" by the way – it was one of their best. The lyrics explained the situation of the citizens then of Japan at that time very well – and held some reasonable historical background. I do not hate them, but apparently their songs anger the majority of the elder portion of current Japanese people." Kise said, tapping his fingers on the wall behind him. "I think their lead vocal was… someone called Imayoshi Shoichi."

Aomine looked up, his eyes widening. "Serious? That four eyes?"

"You know him?"

Aomine turned to the side, and just murmured. "Not really."

"Acquaintances?"

"Something like that. There are two other guys, aren't there? Wakamatsu and Sakurai." The indigo-haired male spat, as Kise nodded.

"Yeah." Akashi glanced in an inquiring manner at the clock, and then stood up, heading to his room. Midorima frowned.

"Akashi?"

The redheaded male smiled reassuringly, before entering the dark room – which was soon lit brightly, as Akashi switched the lights on. "I just have some quick business to attend online, concerning my father's work. I have forgotten that I had some errands remaining to do. It won't take long."

"… Sure."

Meanwhile, outside in the hustling roads of Kanagawa, Murasakibara Akiyo was in a rather silent meeting with his acquaintance. It was Hanamiya Makoto (again) as they sipped their coffee in a companionable atmosphere. Both of them knew what their conversation that was soon to begin was merely about depressing pasts – they wanted to calm down beforehand.

Tapping his fingers on the side of the chair, Hanamiya started off. "So," leaning forward towards Akiyo who was reading the morning newspaper, the latter continued. "Any progression in your petty research?"

Neatly folding the papers, Akiyo shook his head in hidden disappointment. "Not really." He paused, as he stared at the cars outside the glass window. "Though I have met Kirishima Aya."

"You can't get a better idiot to spill the secrets." Hanamiya clucked his tongue, impressed – as Akiyo just shrugged.

"I don't know, really."

"Pardon?"

"Kirishima might be easy to convince," silence tugged onto Akiyo's words. "But the problem is how extensive her knowledge is about the accident nine years ago. Takahashi Jirou obtains new girlfriends every month or so – how can anyone be certain that she knows _anything_?"

Hanamiya seemed to agree partially. "Shameful man. He trashed such an amusing wife. What was her name again?"

"Kise Tomomi."

"Right, it was something like that. I have no sympathy for her kids, though. Just her."

Akiyo laughed half-manneredly. "Do you have a thing for older women?" He yawned, craving to smoke a cigarette out of the blue. "But anyways. Any updates on the culprit?"

"Do you expect me to respond with the actual name of culprit or the one you are presuming to be?" Inquired Hanamiya, a dissatisfied scowl plastered on his face. "We seem to think differently on this matter."

Akiyo bit the inside of his cheeks, and then pulled his bangs backward exasperatedly. "Why do you not feel like informing me of the real culprit?"

"It's not the right time."

"When _would_ be the right time?"

"I don't know either. Not any time soon, though."

"Hanamiya –"

"Geez, you are acting like an investigator today." Hanamiya growled, as he shook the cup of coffee and poured the rest of the savory liquid into his mouth. "I'm going." The bell of the café rang, as the said male exited the building, hands in pockets.

The latter left inside the air-conditioned shop leaned back on the comfy (but dusty) chair, laying his head on the cold surfaced round coffee table. Suddenly, a loud classical tune of Beethoven echoed throughout the vicinity, as the divided attention of the surrounding customers focused on him. Akiyo cleared his throat, and quickly pulled the phone close to his mouth.

"Murasakibara Akiyo here –"

" _Akiyo, WHERE ARE YOU?"_

"Uh," Akiyo tried to identify the belligerent voice that was cracking over the receiver. "Riko?"

" _Yes it's me, for heaven's sake! What are you thinking? Did you forget that we had a schedule for today?"_ With that Akiyo slowly stood up, staring at Riko who was on the other side of the road, shouting into her old Nokia phone. A crowd of pedestrians gathered from nowhere at the arrival of the colorful haired rookie models – Kuroko going seemingly unnoticed.

"I remembered." Akiyo mumbled, as he left the shop in quite a lazy fashion. "Why?"

" _WHY?"_ Riko cried aloud, looking ready to rip all her hair out if necessary. _"It's ten minutes before the filming starts, and you're not even inspecting any of the sets?!"_

Akiyo could tell Riko couldn't see him from across the busy streets, and rubbed the back of his neck, waiting for the red light to change to green. "It's just a music video, anyways. How flashy can the sets ever get?" The light finally changed, as the tall man walked towards the manager. He was strolling quite slowly, but because of his long legs and wide steps, it wasn't a problem getting ahead of the milling people.

Before Riko could exclaim another embarrassing threat, Akiyo came behind her grabbed her shoulder. The manager jumped, and then soon relaxed, aware of whom it was. "Oh god," She slapped her forehead. "You should've informed me that you were around, first."

"You never gave me the time." Akiyo retorted, and then entered the building. Gorgon was a boy band that worked for Golden Time Agency – they only educated models, but made Gorgon an exception for variety of people recruited for the Agency. He sniffed the cold air, and smiled. _Smells like a good place. I can smell the scent of hard work._

"Akiyo-san looks delighted, don't you think?" Kise asked curiously. "Well, I like Golden Time as well. They have a lot of nice people – well, maybe except the members of the four kings. I'm not so sure whether they are friendly or not."

"Enterprising people they have, I admit." Momoi hummed, glancing occasionally down at her small notebook. "The members of group Gorgon that we'll meet today are all of my high school colleagues. I worked as a manager for their basketball club, you see… and then we'll go to Dai-chan's family's small confectionary, talk, and eat sweets and desserts…" She trailed off, as Murasakibara's eyes widened somewhat at the word 'confectionary'.

"Mine-chin, your family makes sweets?"

The indigo-haired male just replied gruffly. "Yeah. There was no profit or whatsoever in it, though. We just decided to keep it because my dad favored sweet things – like dango and sugared green tea."

"Do you sell red bean soup?" Midorima questioned expectantly.

"Yeah, with extra rice cakes in it."

The greenhead cleared his throat, internally grinning in satisfaction. "I shall visit sometime soon, then."

"It's all the way in Narita, though."

"Doesn't matter."

Aomine seemed to think about it. "Let's all go this Sunday, then. Our shop's closed every Sunday."

Kise laughed. "Sounds good – it's been a while since I have traveled, anyways."

"Guys, this way." Momoi called them towards one of the sets. Akiyo and Riko were conversing peacefully with the three males of Gorgon – Imayoshi Shoichi, Sakurai Ryo, and Wakamatsu Kosuke. When Wakamatsu spotted Aomine and Momoi, he stepped out of the conversation (as it was being mostly focused around the leader, Imayoshi anyways) and waved at both of them.

"Wakamatsu-senpai!" Momoi squealed, as Wakamatsu slapped her shoulders lightly.

"Yo, Momoi! Long time no see! You're working as a manager for the new rookies? That's amazing!" He then looked up. "… With that idiot." Aomine glared meaningfully.

"What did you say, now?"

"Geez, both of you, seriously." Momoi then glanced around. "It always perked up my interest though. Why didn't Yoshinori-senpai join you guys? It's such well-known band, too."

Wakamatsu just shrugged. "Susa went into a back dancer team. Sounds pretty lame, but he's actually really cool when he works into it."

"I see." Momoi then paused for a short second, and then asked without any hesitation whatsoever. "Um, do you think I can talk to the manager of your band? I think it's a good idea to meet with several other managers, just to make schedules in the following future easier to carry out and handle."

Wakamatsu glanced around the studio, and then grinned at the sight after spotting someone. "There he is." He pointed at a raven-haired male faraway, in the midst of other workers busy setting up the leftover furniture. His bangs were covering his left eye, and had a small mole under his right. Pale skin, thin but lean at the same time – he was flawless for even a model. Momoi gaped in her place for a while.

"His name is Himuro Tatsuya. Nice guy; you'll get close to him in a matter of seconds. He's a gentleman." Momoi nodded, approaching the latter as she forced herself through the crowd.

 _I think I met him somewhere…_ Murasakibara's eyebrows rose. _Where was it?_ He kept his stare focused on Momoi and Himuro, as they openly conversed with one another in a few seconds, just as Wakamatsu predicted. After a while, Murasakibara just groaned and gave up on thinking. "Doesn't matter anyways."

"Hm? What did you say?" Akashi inquired, and Murasakibara shook his head.

"Nothing worth your attention."

"… I see." The redhead simply turned to Riko, who was now done with talking to Imayoshi. She put her hands on her hips, and then cleared her throat.

"I believe you have all practiced your lines." She tilted her head to the side, with the oddly threatening stare that added 'or else'. The models just nodded reluctantly in response.

"Very good. But well…" The brunette scanned the six males of varying heights, and varying brains. "Aomine, what's this music video about?"

The tanned male seemed to have not expected this sort of inquiry. He stammered his response – which was simply nonsense. The manager shook her head, worries building up inside of her, as Aomine was elected as the main character. "Akashi-kun, if you will."

The said male nodded. "It is set in Tokyo, on the year of 2006, specifically July 19th, about the Takahashi shopping mall explosion. The main story focuses around a boy that was the son of the construction company team's leader that was in charge of building the shopping mall in the first place, saying that it actually wasn't an explosion, but the mall crashing down of construction failure. The family loses their reputation, and portrays the story of the son as he starts losing important things around him. In the end, the son dies by committing suicide out of pity of his current situation, only leaving hatred towards the society that cannot seek the truth."

"Perfect." Riko nodded, contented.

"Sounds like a dangerous plot. Wouldn't the government officials send complaints and shut down the band itself or something?" Kise asked, as Imayoshi laughed.

"Oh, no worries – there's nothing the government has to do with this music video, anyways. Just the people involved."

Aomine grumbled. "I see now, why I'm the main character."

Imayoshi smirked. "Oh yeah?"

"It's because you're the damned leader of this group."

"Correct." Imayoshi chuckled, and then clapped, gathering the staff members. "We should get started right now."

 _ **SCENE 1**_

People are laughing, shouting, grumbling, or are just simply strolling around expressionlessly around the mall. One second it's filled with the noise of people, but then the next second an aggressive strike of noise erupts inside the mall, with a gust of flames, as it starts to fall and crash. The screams and pleads of help and rescue among people are identified as cacophony between the riot and chaos.

Blood is soon divided unevenly surrounding the mall, mostly the interior. Bodies of customers and visitors lay around in the building, where ambulances and traces of fire trucks as they left after taking out the fire, and police investigators inspect the area, trying to find the cause of the crash – or rather, explosion.

Several cries of families that lost their precious ones in a mere second are heard, and in the midst of that, there is Akashi and Kise, the blonde punching the cement ground in frustration, while the redhead simply stared up blankly at the blue sky that was painfully bright.

The focus then changes, showing a broadcasting of the news the following day. They have announced a possibility that was suggested out of nowhere – construction failure. Aomine's eyes widened as he dropped the basketball in his hand, listening to the reporter end their word. He quickly motioned to call his father, as it showed another scene where the father supposedly smiled and said everything would be fine.

" _Oh, really?"_ The music played out, the voice of Sakurai filling the studio.

"Cut!" Akiyo said, being the director for the day. The actors nodded, as they changed positions.

 _ **SCENE 2**_

The camera turns its way to Aomine, now in his first year of middle school. He is holding his bag and walking into the front gate with Kuroko. Then it shows a small flashback, of Aomine finding his father's hanging dead body on the ceiling.

" _My father was dead long ago," I say to the blank blue-sky up high_

It then switched to where Aomine dribbled a basketball and pushed past several other players skillfully with much speed. Next to him, there is Kise Ryouta, sweating as he wiped his forehead, practically glaring competitively at the latter.

 _I get a call from a man_

" _Your mom collapsed," He says_

It soon shows Aomine leaving school, and running to the hospital. The doctor informs him that his mother is long gone from this very world, and Aomine punches the wall and cries a bellow of heart-throbbing pain and sorrow. It then slowly shows a smiling face of a totally different man, talking to a said government official, and then the explosion of the mall in black and white.

" _It's all over, honey – it's all over."_

The very last part of the music video only shows Aomine's arm lying on the pale white floor, with several drugs scattered on the floor.

"Cut!"

Momoi threw Aomine a glance of amazement, as Aomine just cleared his throat from that entire roaring he had to do in the hospital scene.

"Hey, Dai – some good acting there." Akiyo smiled in satisfaction. It was rather rare that there were no NGs at all. "I would've liked to add your bloopers in there, but none were there, so…" Aomine gave the photographer a look, as Akiyo rolled his eyes. "Joking."

"When will the music video be released again?" Momoi questioned, her folder tucked between her arms. Himuro tilted his head to the side, as he proceeded into checking their schedule once again.

"October 23rd." He responded, as Momoi nodded in a thankful manner. "The teasers have been released, though…" Himuro snuck a cautious glance from Imayoshi, and leaned down. "I am not sure they would help increase the fan base of this team. Last time we released our album, _Nauseating_ – some people became very supportive of our band, and some… just the opposite. You are aware of the type of music they perform." Himuro whispered into her ear, as Momoi chuckled.

"I wouldn't expect the least out of Imayoshi-senpai." She replied, as Himuro nodded. Then he glanced towards the models that were now chatting with the other members of Gorgon. He caught eye with a certain tall purple-haired male, and sighed. _He doesn't remember me, does he?_ Himuro, despondent in thought, just rubbed the back of his neck and exited the studio.

The sound of the door shutting with a rather audible "bang" had gathered the divided attention of the models.

"And that is?" Akashi inquired, expecting a helpful response from the band members.

Sakurai was the one to mumble. "Himuro-san. He's our manager. He used to live in America, but moved over and attended the basketball club of Yosen high school when he was sixteen or so. That's how we got to know each other, and formed a legitimate certified contract – he is very responsible and trustworthy."

Murasakibara flinched for some unknown reason. _Do I know him?_ The name had a certain familiar ring to it – but Murasakibara couldn't really catch on what. _But we just met today._ He fumbled through his memories, trying his best to recall the male. He had attended Yosen – they should've met somewhere in campus. But again, Murasakibara had less care for strangers. "Probably no one." The tall male came to a lazy conclusion, as he yawned and kept silent throughout the whole conversation.

Outside with Himuro, the raven was having a friendly and nostalgic phone call.

"Yes, Taiga – they all seem very nice."

" _Some of them are jerks, trust me."_

"Really? All of them seem… peculiar, indeed – but rather socialized."

" _You're too nice, Tatsuya."_

"Am I? Never struck me in that way."

" _So? Wasn't your whole reason of becoming a manager for Murasakibara? Did you talk to him yet? He's got to remember you, right? I mean, you guys were so close."_

Himuro presented himself with a bitter expression that couldn't possibly go hidden. He bit his bottom lip and just sighed. "Yeah. We talked. He didn't change that much, really."

" _Yeah? That's good to hear- wait, coach- I mean, the manager is calling me. Talk later, Tatsuya!"_

"Yeah."

The line went dead, as Himuro just shook his head.

" _I'd like to see Muro-chin become a manager for me."_

 _Look who's forgotten, Atsushi._

Meanwhile, in Cherry Entertainment, quite a commotion was occurring in unknown silence in the offices.

"Jirou, are you listening to me? Why aren't you doing anything to that photographer? He's a damned- no, he doesn't even deserve to be called anything from my own mouth." Kirishima Aya flopped down on the couch behind her; an exasperated sigh escaping her perfect lips smooched with lipstick.

The called male just remained silent. Aya threw her purse across the room, begging for attention. "What _is_ the matter with you today? You're ignoring as if I'm just a fly on the wall! Listen, Jirou – what is the reason behind your annoying silence? Why can't you drop that Akiyo into the pits of hell?!" Aya exclaimed, as Takahashi Jirou simply turned back in his seat and faced her.

"It's personal, Aya. Please, do not interfere with my business any further. This is not an interrogation you are going to set on me."

Aya groaned dramatically, as she scraped her fingers on the cushions. "I thought we went over this, Jirou. You can't do anything without _me_." She then paused. As if struck with realization, she started laughing and snorting. "Are you- don't tell me you're hesitating because he's a _Murasakibara_."

Jirou didn't respond. Aya froze. Her nostrils flared with anger, as she threw the wine glass across the room. "You still have sympathy for them?! They betrayed you and Hideaki."

"Which was technically Hideaki and my fault."

Aya, couldn't believing what she was hearing, threw a whole tantrum. Jirou just massaged his temples, and thought in mere sorrow.

 _I'm so sorry, Ryouta._

 **End of Chapter**

 **A little longer than usual, I guess. I hoped you enjoyed it.**

 **-Meiko-**


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